femslash february
by not a straight trumpet
Summary: A collection of oneshots for Femslash February, featuring ikea furniture, kissing in front of strangers, and a great deal of Asuka being . . . well . . . Asuka.
1. ikea

**a/n:** i have decided to attempt publishing a new fic every day this month for femslash february, let's see how it goes

i've never built furniture from ikea so idk how accurate all of this is

* * *

"The instructions are in Swedish." Kumiko and Reina were, at the moment, staring down at a mismatched pile of polished wooden boards, nails and screws, and discarded pieces of bubble wrap. Reina peered at the instructions in confusion. "They're in _Swedish,_ Kumiko."

"Here, let me see that." Kumiko took the now-crumpled paper from Reina's hands and stared at the words. "Yep, they're in Swedish, all right."

"Do we know anyone who speaks Swedish?"

"Asuka, maybe."

"We're not calling Asuka."

"Fine, then, we're not calling Asuka. What do we do now?"

"We don't give up." Reina picked up a board - Kumiko vaguely recognized it as a leg - and started slamming it against the bed frame.

"Uh, R-Reina?" Kumiko mumbled.

"Yes?"

"I don't think that'll work. See, there's a couple of drawings here." Kumiko pointed to a series of images. Reina looked over Kumiko's shoulder at the pictures - poorly drawn stick figures holding up power tools and putting together the bed with more ease than they really should have been able to.

"The stick figure represents us, then?"

"I guess. It looks pretty dumb, though." The blank-faced person was shown next to the directions - presumably explaining what each piece was, but nobody in the room knew Swedish.

"We need tools," Reina commented. "If that graphic on the left is any indication, at least, we'll need a screwdriver, a hammer, and whatever that is."

"I might have those lying around in a desk somewhere."

"Why do you think you have power tools?"

"Freakin' Shuichi dumps his crap here all the time. I don't know why, honestly, but at least it'll spare me the experience of talking to the guy."

"It works in our favor, then?"

"Yeah. Crap, where'd he leave that?" Kumiko scooted away from the near-perfect circle of assorted building supplies, leaving Reina to puzzle over the instructions.

* * *

An hour later, Kumiko had managed to dig up a hammer, a screwdriver, and at least five boards that definitely hadn't been there in the beginning. Reina had gone back to repeatedly slamming the leg against the bed frame. Both girls were just as confused as they had been at the beginning.

"The thing I have to wonder," Reina began, still slamming the leg, "-is why they won't just assemble these before sending them to us."

"Mm-hmm." Kumiko had started trying to find a website to translate the text, but so far the only thing she had come up with was _hammer in the third round Gotsume,_ whatever that meant.

"I mean-" _thwack_ "-it really would-" _thwack_ "-make things easier for everyone-" _thwack._ "Regardless of the payoff one might achieve in the end, it really isn't worth it."

"Yep." Kumiko was about ready to just drape a blanket over a few of the boards and call it a day, but Reina remained determined. Kumiko admired that about her, the way she carried herself with such high regard for both herself and others, the way she didn't give up on something that was important to her. She was amazing, Kumiko thought, even when she was trying (and failing) to put together an Ikea bed, and she really was failing.

"It's honestly ridiculous." Reina crawled inside the bed frame and looked around. "The instructions, they're unbelievably vague, but I won't give up. You won't either, right?"

"Y-yeah, I won't," Kumiko mumbled. Truth be told, she had been considering calling someone to assemble the bed for them, but Reina seemed so insistent on finishing it that she just couldn't bear to rain on her parade. Or her bed, as things turned out. "Do you want me to join you in there?"

"I don't see why not." Kumiko flashed a sharp grin as she abruptly pounced on Reina among the boards and nails and screws, laughing as the other girl grabbed her hands and the two started kissing, the mess of an in-progress bed forgotten for the moment. Kumiko would've gladly stopped the furniture assembly right then and there, but Reina had already pulled away and was holding the screwdriver upside down, trying to shove it into one of the slots.

"R-Reina?"

"Yes?"

"I think you have to put the screw in first." Reina turned beet-red. Kumiko couldn't help but be a bit surprised - she didn't know that Reina could even _be_ embarrassed by something that didn't involve a band advisor. _Right, he existed._ "Hey, remember when you had a crush on Taki-sensei?" Kumiko lightly teased, prodding Reina with her elbow.

"I'm pretty sure that _you_ remember that more than I do," Reina huffed, finally making progress on one of the legs.

"Y-yeah, you're right about that," Kumiko admitted. "It was just a legitimate thing I was worried about, y'know? Here was the girl of my dreams, here she was confiding in me, here she was creating a real friendship, maybe even something more, and then . . ." Kumiko's voice lowered, twiddling her thumbs nervously as Reina finished twisting in the last screw. ". . . Then here she was, telling me that she was in love with the teacher. You could've imagined my disappointment."

"That's not important now, though," Reina muttered. "We're together, here, right now, attempting to build a bed. _Attempting_ is the key word here, but we're still together. That's what matters, don't you think?"

"Yeah," Kumiko murmured. "A-anyway, I guess we should focus on this bed now."

"I agree."

* * *

"Y'know, they really need to just make the numbers bigger," Kumiko grumbled, hammering in what she hoped to be the last nail. "That would've made all of this a lot easier. Or, I don't know, _actually had the instructions written in a language other than Swedish."_

"Patience, Kumiko." Reina had finally managed to find a place for the leg, which she gave a small, affectionate pat before condemning it to an eternal fate supporting the two girls during all hours of the night while crammed in a corner of the tiny apartment they currently inhabited. "In any case, it looks like we're finally done." Kumiko stood back to admire the handiwork.

"It's nothing pretty," she began, dusting herself off. "But it's still pretty cool, huh?"

"We made it. There's something special in that." Reina smiled. Kumiko wrapped an arm around her, relishing in the other girl's warmth.

"You know, we'll need to go back."

"Why?"

"We need mattresses." Kumiko, at least, didn't favor the idea of sleeping on hard wooden boards.

"Will they expect us to sew them ourselves?" Reina retorted, a hint of playful sharpness lingering on her tongue.

"I don't really know."

* * *

Three hours, seven website checks, and one trip back to Ikea later, a simple white mattress sat precariously balanced on the bed.

"Aren't you afraid of, I dunno, the bed collapsing?" Kumiko inquired as Reina flopped down on the mattress and nestled underneath the soft blanket that Kumiko had dug out from an old box. Reina looked back up and shrugged.

"It seems fairly stable, at least when it's supporting one person. I can't say I'm sure it'll stay up with _two,_ though."

"I guess we'll just have to see, then." Kumiko jumped and flung herself onto the bed with a laugh. Reina smiled, and the two girls leaned in for a kiss just as one of the legs cracked and the bed was sent falling to the floor.

"I suppose I shouldn't have slammed that leg against the frame as much," Reina mused.

"Why did the instructions have to be in Swedish?" Kumiko sighed.

* * *

 **a/n:** the thing kumiko translated was actually what happened when i put a generic instruction into several layers of google translate. the internet is a wonderful thing.


	2. asuka

**a/n:** behold, my attempt at an asuka tanaka character study

* * *

Kumiko couldn't say that she was surprised when Asuka approached her, creeping up on the girl in solitude with that lopsided grin on her face.

"Hey, hey, Kumiko," she whispered, sitting down and swinging her legs over the edge of the rooftop.

"What?" _Crap. That was standoffish, wasn't it?_

"You've been acting rather strange lately, do you know that?" There was a glint in her eyes - playful, mischievous, like she was still a young child. "Is there something you're not telling me, _Ku-mi-ko?"_ Asuka sounded out each syllable of the girl's name, sliding closer until Kumiko could see the edges of her glasses. "Something about, say, a certain trumpet, hmm?"

"N-no, of course not!" Kumiko yelped. Asuka rolled her eyes - a look of disbelief. Nothing could get past her, that much was obvious. Kumiko figured it might be for the best to just explain everything to her, but she honestly didn't know where to begin. ". . . Maybe." Asuka gave a satisfied hum as she reached her hands over her head, still grinning like a maniac.

"Well, why don't you start from the beginning, then?" Kumiko sighed, fiddling with the straps on her bag as she recounted everything she could remember between the time Reina had become important to her and now.

"S-so, yeah, we're . . . pretty much dating now, I guess?" she finished. "Or, at least, I'm dating Reina. I don't really know if she's just playing along, or what. She's . . . mysterious, y'know?"

"More mysterious than _yours truly?"_ Asuka wondered, pointing to herself. Kumiko elected to ignore the statement.

"It's just hard to see her motives. I've tried to make myself understandable, I've told her everything, b-but . . . I still hardly know her."

"Is that such a bad thing?"

"W-well, yeah. I feel like I _should_ know her, like she's trying to show me the deepest parts of herself and I'm just barely following along. It's tough."

"Ah, young love's a rather fickle thing, isn't it?" Asuka sighed, lying on her back to look up at the stars. "I'd assume that's what brought you to a rooftop after evening practice, anyway." Kumiko nodded. Asuka smiled softly, clearly a mask of sorts that was just as cunning as her usual cheer and flamboyance, and Kumiko could sense a great weariness about her, the kind that one only has if they've been through more than they should have at their age, the kind that speaks of experience and perhaps heartbreak.

"Have . . . have you ever been in love with someone before, Asuka?" Kumiko ran through the options in her head as the words left her mouth. _Kaori? Haruka? Someone else entirely?_

"Well, I suppose you could say that." Asuka dropped the smile for a moment, and it was as if the mask had cracked for just a second, the girl underneath revealed. "It wasn't a person, though. I fell in love with the idea of love itself. In less poetic terms, I liked the idea of security, caring, happily ever afters and what have you. Unfortunately, I didn't particularly like trying to _find_ someone who would provide that. I believe Nakagawa once phrased it rather well during one of our practices a few weeks ago: people can suck." Kumiko didn't know what to do with the information that she had just received. "See, that's the thing," Asuka continued. "I'm not some grand heroine with a tragic backstory. I don't have much in terms of motives, or people I'm tied down to. I used to think that was a bad thing, but it's really not. It's kind of fun, actually, playing the badass upperclassman without any of the actual responsibility."

Kumiko realized, with a strange certainty, that the expression Asuka had held just a minute before - the cracked facade, the revealing of what lay underneath the mask - was nothing more than yet another ploy. Asuka didn't care. She had said it herself - there was nothing behind her charisma and talent, just a girl who couldn't care less about anything. She was infinitely more mysterious than Reina, holding layer upon layer of personalities until there was nothing left, but Kumiko had no desire to explore deeper. She didn't really want to know what lay behind this puzzle of an older girl. Reina, Reina was somehow more real, more caring than Asuka could ever be, even if Kumiko hardly understood her sometimes. Kumiko picked up her bag and stood up, starting to head back downstairs.

"Hey, did I help?" Asuka called, still lying on the ground. Kumiko paused for a moment.

"Y-yeah," she answered, almost too quiet to hear. "Yeah, you did."


	3. out in the open

**a/n:** shuichi needs to leave

* * *

As a general rule of thumb, Kumiko had never been a huge fan of publicity. She had always preferred, personally, to keep things between only those who absolutely needed to know. It didn't come as much of a surprise to Reina, then, when Kumiko requested that the two keep their relationship under wraps for the time being, at least until the end of their second year. It worked well, for the most part, although some problems arose through this arrangement - namely, potential suitors during festival season. Asuka had packed up her mischief and taken it with her to college, and Natsuki had simply dropped out for reasons nobody but Yuuko knew, so it was to be expected that there was nobody left to understand the depth behind shared glances in the hallways, gentle hand-holding during breaks. One of those problems happened to be a certain Shuichi Tsukamoto, shuffling his feet in front of Kumiko as he forced out an invitation to the event.

"So, Kumiko, would that be alright with you?" Kumiko was just about to pull the old grabbing-the-hand-of-any-random-kid-who-passes-by trick (she figured that it had worked well enough before) when Reina turned the corner and walked down the hall with her usual grace, carrying herself in such a way that showed any passerby that she held herself in a rather high regard, even if she tried to be humble about it. Kumiko had always assumed that she had the same opinion on being out in the open as she did - one look at the girl's reserved personality, her mysterious aura, and it would be obvious that she wasn't one to share the things important to her - so it came as somewhat of a shock when Reina took Kumiko's hands into her own, dipped her like a professional dancer, and kissed her right there and then in the middle of the hallway in front of Shuichi. Kumiko would have been lying if she had said that this was the first time she had kissed Reina, and she knew it wouldn't be the last, but _by god_ if she didn't feel like she was discovering her all over again every time they kissed. Reina tasted warm, soft, gentle, like rosemary and the lightest hint of the trumpet's metal still on her lips. Shuichi was forgotten for the moment as the two girls pressed against each other like they didn't want to let go, and Kumiko dropped her bag as she ran her hands through Reina's soft, long hair, not even caring who saw them there. Reina didn't seem to care either, having initiated the kiss herself, leaning against Kumiko and resting in the crook of her neck when she finally took a breath.

If anyone had still been paying attention to Shuichi, they would have seen that he was sighing as he walked away, grumbling about how he owed Hazuki a soda for some bet. Kumiko and Reina broke away from the kiss in a fit of laughter, still holding hands as they walked down the hallway with smiles on their faces.


	4. puppy

**a/n:** luce the kitten can transcend dimensions

* * *

"Kumiko."

"Yeah?"

"Why is there a dog in your bag?"

"W-well, uh, that was what I wanted to talk to you about, actually." The dog in question responded by jumping out of the bag and excitedly barking around Reina. It - _she_ \- wasn't the most attractive dog, a scruffy mutt with ginger patches all over her body and a stumpy tail that was wagging so fast Kumiko was worried it might fall off, but the dog had taken a liking to her, and she wasn't willing to set her back out on the street, not after finding her tied up to a tree with a note saying _FREE DOG_ scrawled in messy blue ink. Pepper, as Kumiko had taken to calling her in the last few hours, curiously sniffed Reina's trumpet case. "We're not allowed to have pets at my place, unless you count plants."

"Why is there a ban on pets?" Reina inquired, holding the trumpet case out of the dog's reach.

"They're noisy, I guess. The neighbors don't like loud stuff happening nearby. Heck, they threatened to get rid of my cactus if I didn't keep my voice down while I was talking to it." Reina raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"You yell at your cactus?" Kumiko looked down at her feet, a blush creeping through her cheeks.

"Sometimes," she admitted. "I threw it at a wall once, actually."

"Cacti aside, why are you asking me to take care of . . . this?" _This_ happened to be yapping at a squirrel perched in a nearby tree. "Wouldn't there be someone else more fit for taking care of an animal?"

"Hazuki's allergic, Midori would probably snuggle the thing to death, and Natsuki's cat would make mincemeat of her if she let a defenseless puppy into the house."

"What about Asuka?"

"She'd probably test dogs for aerodynamics by throwing her off the roof."

"Fair point. Regardless, I don't know how to care for a pet, and with finals approaching I doubt I'll be able to spare any time for walks. Besides, couldn't you just bring the dog to a shelter? I'm sure they'll take better care of it . . . her . . . than I could." Kumiko stared at the other girl in shock.

"I can't bring her to the _pound!"_ she gasped. "They'll kill her if she doesn't get adopted! I wouldn't want to have this face's death on my conscious." Kumiko pointed to Pepper's goofy expression, with her tongue hanging out of her mouth as she barked at the squirrel, for emphasis.

"Neither would I. How about this - we'll share the dog."

"Reina, I told you, we're not allowed-"

"I'll keep her at my house, provide her with food, all of the essentials for a living place, and you can come over to walk her, play with her, whatever else you need to do with dogs to keep them entertained." Kumiko's eyes lit up. Reina was inviting her over to her house on a consistent basis. _Reina was inviting her to her house._

"Okay, that sounds good!" she squeaked, barely containing her excitement. Pepper pawed at Reina's shoe, as if she was somehow aware of her new owner. "Thanks!" It might've been the heat of the moment, it might've been the relief at finding someone to take care of the dog, but Kumiko suddenly kissed Reina on the cheek and grinned. She crouched down to Pepper's eye level, where the dog was lazily rolling over. "You," she whispered, "are the best wingman ever."


	5. first impressions

Kumiko hadn't thought anything special of Reina when they first met - middle school held more immediate temptations, upperclassmen with a knack for denting euphoniums and hearts, as well as the alluring concept of the Nationals. She hadn't tried to make friends with the strange girl, not immediately, in any case. She was a name on a roll call list, a flash of dark hair in the hallways, a lone trumpet sounding out long after practice had concluded for the day. Kumiko didn't think of her as any different from Asami, or Yoko, or any of the other countless members of the band that represented her middle school. She had known her by name, of course - Reina Kousaka, daughter of a famed trumpet player, a strange prodigy with a life in brass already laid out in front of of her like a fresh sheet of music propped on an expensive tin stand - but never by personality, never by anything other than her face and her talent.

Reina, on the other hand, had always found there to be something peculiar about the girl with the euphonium, though she could never quite put her finger on it. Notes, scales, tempo, she understood all of that, but other people often came as a mystery to her. She didn't understand how they could drop out of band to pursue other interests, considering their relationships or grades somehow more important. Reina was a single-minded girl, with one goal and one goal only - to become special, regardless of what it took. She was ambitious, focused, all of the things that this adversary who barely spoke to her didn't seem to share, but they had kept a comfortable distance from each other, with nothing to really bring them together. Reina hadn't minded that, not really, but she still had to wonder what was drawing her to this girl, this euphonium player.

She hadn't cared when she sat down next to her after the performance, hadn't cared when she more or less ignored her throughout the waiting period for the results. Reina was ignoring her just as much, for a completely different reason - she couldn't think of anything other than the results, the idea of her school's name on the banner, the far-off temptation of Nationals. It didn't change the sting of this girl, this _stranger's_ words as she belittled everything Reina stood for in the middle of an auditorium upon the false reward of dud gold. She really didn't understand, but she supposed that Kumiko didn't understand either. Contrary to popular belief - and by popular belief, she meant Asuka - Reina had not transferred to Kitauji due to an unquenchable "thirst" (whatever that meant) for Kumiko, she had transferred because she admired Taki more than anything, and she knew that despite her desire to become special, a goal she could only ultimately achieve alone, she still needed a mentor of sorts, a guide in the world of music, and her father's old friend seemed to be the perfect candidate. She called it love, when she told Kumiko much later, but she regretted that exact phrasing, for what she felt for the man was not romantic love so much as it was a deep admiration, an idol to worship. Taki was the only person who truly understood her, despite the fact that she hadn't wanted to be understood (such desires were rather stupid, she thought). She couldn't risk losing someone that important.

Really, Kumiko figured that the actual first impression had come in the beginning of her freshman year, standing in fear and a fair bit of confusion when Reina had entered the band room that day, her dark hair flowing behind her like a curtain or an ocean wave, with determination filling every step she took. Kumiko had been afraid of her reaction back then, scared that Reina would whirl around and notice her and start _screaming_ about how Kumiko had been _proud_ of the dud gold, _proud,_ of all things. She hadn't wanted that, hadn't wanted to be noticed by the girl who happened to be the main reason why she had chosen Kitauji in the first place. It's difficult to maintain the idea of a fresh start with familiar faces surrounding you, that's what Kumiko figured.

Reina had hardly even noticed Kumiko standing in the music room that day. She hadn't thought that the girl would join the band alongside her, and she would have asked for her motives, but Kumiko looked aptly terrified at that moment, so Reina had chosen to pretend not to see her. The first time she saw Kumiko, really _saw_ her, was that moment when she had, rather abruptly, fallen flat on her stomach in front of her, rambled incomprehensibly, and then ran away. That, Reina figured, thinking back, was the time she had truly started to realize why Kumiko might have such a terrible personality, what it was that drew Reina to her.

Really, both girls thought, it was pretty weird that they had ended up together at all.


	6. truth or dare

**a/n:** this was suggested by an anon on tumblr, thank you for the suggestion

* * *

"Ah, truth or dare, such a wonderful invention, created at the dawn of time to sate the curiosity of the ancient cavewoman and their sleepovers. Could anyone even dare to think of a better game?" Asuka looked around at the circle of musicians sitting in the middle of her family's gigantic living room as if challenging the band to think of something better. Kumiko had been skeptical of the idea of a sleepover for the Kitauji High School band hosted by its vice president, but nobody had died yet, so she considered it to be going fine so far. Midori tentatively raised her hand. "Yes, Kawashima?"

"W-well, I've actually always liked charades-"

"Quiet!" Asuka snapped, standing up from her place perched on the coffee table and glaring down at the tiny girl. "Did you think that was anything but a rhetorical question?" Midori scooted away, muttering something about how gatherings with Asuka never went well. "Now, now, where were we? Ah, yes, truth or dare. Now, if anyone would like to drop out, feel free to do so. I won't judge!" Midori quietly walked out of the room. "Okay, so who wants to start?" There was no response. Everyone looked kind of sleepy, to be honest - after several hours of Asuka dragging them along to every possible attraction in the house and listening to her ramble about the Tanaka family's "great history," Kumiko thought that at least half of the band was ready to doze off right there on the spot. Eventually, Haruka offered herself to be the first player of the game, nervously playing with a strand of her hair as she sat in her seat. Asuka rubbed her hands together like a movie villain, cackling softly. "Oh, my dear, old, friend, so it seems you are the first to join us in this wonderful game."

"I'll do truth," Haruka decided. "I don't really want to lick my saxophone or dance on the couch."

"Well," Asuka sighed, "I know enough about you already, and you don't exactly have a treasure trove of important secrets, so I'll just wait until later to offer suggestions. Does anyone else have something to ask?"

"What's the biggest lie you've ever told?" Hazuki inquired. Haruka paused for a moment, looking pensively down at the carpet as if it would spell out an answer for her.

"I've never liked this game," Reina whispered. Kumiko had stuck close to her throughout the day, but this was the first time she had said anything. "Either you're forced to do a degrading act in front of your peers-"

"Like making out with a lamp!" someone called out.

"-or you're forced to reveal something about yourself that you don't usually want to disclose. It's a trial of humiliation, a jab at our own primal instincts, really."

"Why're you here, then?" Kumiko asked. "You could've left, I'm pretty sure that Midori's just hanging around in the kitchen or something."

"It would tarnish my pride to quit something such as this. It's a bonding exercise, simple as that. Besides, I might learn something about some of our bandmates."

". . . After that, I never considered myself to be anything but 'nice.' I guess it's kind of sad, but it's true." The band had been staring in rapt attention as Haruka recounted her tale, but Kumiko and Reina had missed all but the tail-end. Asuka seemed indifferent, clapping her hands together decisively as soon as Haruka finished.

"Okay!" she cheered, in English. "That was a great start. Who's next?"

* * *

Over the next hour or so, truths and dares were exchanged as Kumiko and Reina narrowly avoided their turns for the game. Kaori was asked for her secret potato recipes (a fact that she refused to disclose, even under Asuka's scrutiny), while Yuuko was dared to take off her ribbon. Natsuki held her breath as the girl slowly untied it and lifted it from her head, revealing . . . nothing in particular. Asuka gasped in mock surprise, resting a palm to her forehead as if Yuuko's lack of a ribbon was the most incredible thing she had seen in her life.

"I've gotta admit, ribbon girl," Natsuki sighed, picking up the ribbon from its place on the floor and twirling it around, "I was expecting more, like you'd be hiding rabbit ears or something under there." Yuuko snatched the ribbon back with a huff.

"You know, I didn't even want to be here!" she snapped. Natsuki raised an eyebrow.

"Why'd ya come, then?" Yuuko glanced in Kaori's direction. Natsuki rolled her eyes. "Oh. Right. I forgot that you're head-over-heels for-"

"Shh!" Yuuko clamped her hand over Natsuki's mouth.

"We-ell," Asuka interrupted, drawing out her letters in a voice that was clearly meant to be some kind of accent, "I think it's about time for our next contestant to step forward, hmm?" Hazuki scooted forward slightly. Asuka grinned. "Perfect," she purred. "Truth, or dare?"

"Truth," Hazuki answered without hesitation.

"What's the worst date you've been on?" Natsuki forced out from behind Yuuko's hand. Hazuki flinched at the question, and Midori stuck her head out from the kitchen to give Natsuki a disapproving glare. She didn't seem aware of what that question entailed.

"W-well, it was actually a few months ago, at the festival . . ." Hazuki trailed off, words catching in her throat. She fiddled with a nearby pillow, trying not to make eye contact with anybody.

"You don't have to say anything else if you don't want to," Asuka interjected.

"What, so _now_ she's got a trace of morality left?" Natsuki muttered.

"I wouldn't want this story to put a dent in our fun times, you know!" the third-year continued. Natsuki groaned.

"It's been a long, amazing night, and we should probably all go to sleep soon, but it seems like there's someone who hasn't had a chance to play!" Asuka pointed to Kumiko with a flourish. "Now, what'll it be, truth or dare? Oh, and by the way, _I'll_ be conducting the question this time."

 _If I choose truth, she'll probably ask me who I like or something like that, and I'm an awful liar, crap, I should've just gone with Midori, crap, crap, crap-_

"Kumiko? We're on somewhat of a tight schedule here."

"Dare!" Kumiko blurted out. Asuka grinned.

"I dare you . . ." she began, the light of a nearby lamp tinting her glasses so that nobody could see her eyes, "-to kiss the person to your left." Kumiko looked to her left, hoping that it would be somebody who wouldn't mind a kiss on the cheek. _Of course it was Reina._ The other girl didn't seem particularly uncomfortable with the prospect, but Kumiko had always found her to be somewhat unreadable in these situations. Kumiko awkwardly put her hands on Reina's shoulders and leaned in, trying not to think about how soft her lips looked, trying not to think about how nice she smelled or how she felt kissing Kumiko right now- she was kissing her. _She was kissing her._ Kumiko vaguely heard someone yelling "keep it safe for work!" while Natsuki quietly cheered. Asuka looked on approvingly, clapping when Reina pulled away.

"Well, that was certainly a fitting end to the night, hmm?" Asuka sighed. "It almost makes me wish we could continue the game."


	7. hotel

**a/n:** this was also suggested by an anon on tumblr, thank you for the suggestion! i really like how this one turned out so i might post it separately later

* * *

Kumiko didn't really know whether she should have been excited or nervous when Taki announced that the band was going to the city for an overnight trip.

"It will help us grow as a band and a family," he had explained before handing out permission slips and quietly ignoring a legion of fangirls hanging onto his every word. Kumiko had decided to write a list of pros and cons of the trip as a way to ease her boredom on the bus, should she end up with a seatmate she didn't particularly care for. Five minutes into sitting on the bus with her bag in her lap and the seat next to her still empty, the list and the window's view to the parking lot were the only things stopping her from a complete and utter lack of things to do.

 _pros_

 _-get to practice euph_

 _-quality time w/ band_

 _-nice hotel_

 _-reina?_

 _cons_

 _-taki-sensei is going to work us to the bone_

 _-cramped in close quarters w/ like sixty people_

 _-reina?_

Hazuki had ended up sitting next to her, and the two of them made idle small talk as the landscape rolled by in the bus window. Kumiko found herself stealing glances in Reina's direction, straightening up whenever the other girl stared back. Hazuki rambled on and on about how she really felt like she was getting better at the tuba, and Kumiko gave her supportive nods, secretly grateful for not having to listen to a different, less interesting topic, such as Shuichi. _Thank God it wasn't Shuichi._ The rest of the bus ride passed without much to mark it.

* * *

Kumiko hadn't even realized that she had fallen asleep by the time the bus pulled into the hotel's parking lot. Hazuki roughly shook her awake from the dream she was having, and the view of surreal midnight airports and strangers from her past were replaced with the cracked leathery seat that she seemed to have just banged her face against in surprise.

"You've been out for over an hour!" Hazuki exclaimed. Kumiko rubbed her head, checking for injury. "Kousaka over there kept on looking at you funny." Potential concussions were forgotten for the moment as Kumiko turned bright red. "Aw, it's nothing to be embarrassed about! Anyway, Taki-sensei's gonna have our heads if we don't join the others soon." Kumiko looked up. Hazuki, herself, and Reina were the only people left on the bus. Hazuki picked up her bag and skipped off of the bus, softly humming to herself. Kumiko wondered if someone had already brought their instruments to the hotel, or wherever they would be practicing. Reina stood abruptly, her bag already slung over her shoulder.

"We should get going," she said, already heading down the bus aisle. If Kumiko had known her, really _known_ her, a few years ago, she would've thought that Reina seemed out of place there, standing with all of her dignity in the middle of a bus with gum stuck haphazardly around on the floors and windows. Kumiko _hadn't_ really known her a few years ago, however, and of all the things that she had tried to cast off between the ends of her days in middle school and her so-called fresh start at Kitauji, the habit of putting people on a pedestal was something she had actually succeeded in getting rid of, so Reina continued to stand in the middle of the bus aisle, impatiently waiting for Kumiko, as the girl quietly tried not to stare at her as if she held the universe in her hands.

* * *

As luck would have it, Kumiko ended up in a hotel room with Reina, Midori, and a rather tired-looking clarinet player who immediately fell asleep on the floor upon arrival. Midori stepped over the clarinet player, leaving her to her own devices, and promptly chose her own bed. It was getting late, after all, and nobody really had time to change out of their daytime clothes. Kumiko wasn't about to argue with that, and it didn't seem like Reina was, either.

* * *

Kumiko couldn't sleep. That statement, in itself, was often one meant to evoke a sense of restlessness, of pacing relentlessly in a room with only the sound of bare feet on a hotel carpet to provide a soundtrack to her thoughts. She didn't want to wake up anyone else, however - the clarinet was out cold, but Kumiko knew that Midori was a light sleeper, and she didn't dare disturb Reina's scarce moments of peaceful rest, which was precisely what lead her to stand on the room's balcony, watching the stars twinkle above the city in such a picturesque way that she sometimes needed to pinch herself to make sure that she wasn't already asleep and dreaming. Her mind drifted to Reina, as it often did, and she smiled softly. Nobody else was out here, after all, so there was nobody to teasingly ask why she was smiling. Not unless Asuka happened to be standing on another balcony somewhere else in the hotel, anyway.

 _She'd probably try to make some_ Romeo and Juliet _joke,_ Kumiko thought, chuckling to herself.

"Having trouble falling asleep?" Kumiko nearly jumped. Reina stood in the doorway, still somehow looking magnificent in the dimly lit hotel room with hardly an hour of sleep to her name. "Me too," Reina continued, not waiting for an answer. She stepped forward, leaning over the balcony in such a way that the moon reflected off of her features. "Is there anything in particular that's bothering you?" Kumiko shrugged.

"I dunno," she admitted. "It's all kinda daunting, really."

"What do you mean?"

"T-this . . . this is the first time I've been away from home with a group of peers." Kumiko tried to hide the blush creeping into her cheeks with little success. Reina tilted her head in confusion.

"That's all? It's nothing to be ashamed of, if that's your main concern."

"It's not. I guess . . . I guess there's just something so _teenager-y_ about this, being in a hotel with a school club, that it's making me realize that this is the 'amazing' high school life that all of those movies kept on promising me as a kid."

"It's not very glamorous, is it?" Reina looked like something out of a movie in that moment, Kumiko thought, leaning on a hotel balcony with the stars in her eyes and the wind in her hair. She pushed a strand back with idle, pale fingers. "Though, it's not very gritty, either. We're not crouching on street corners smoking cigarettes or anything along those lines. It's average. That's what you're worried about, isn't it?" Kumiko nodded, a tiny gesture most people would miss, but Reina wasn't usually like most people.

"I guess I kinda got roped into thinking about becoming special, like you," Kumiko mumbled. "It sounds like such a great idea. Not being like anyone else, only needing to rely on yourself. You're the only one who could ever pull it off, though. Not me."

"Kumiko." The way Reina said her name sent shivers down the girl's spine, as it always did. "What do you think of me, really?"

"Y-you're amazing, Reina." It was all she could think to say in the heat of the moment.

"You think of me as some sort of idol to worship, then?" Kumiko drew in a sharp breath. _Crap. Wrong thing to say._ Images flickered through her mind of someone else, and she pushed them away with shaky hands in her head. "You know, despite all of the talk about becoming special, I'm well aware of the fact that it's idealistic. If I work hard enough, I know that I can do it, but that won't cause me to transcend into some god-like being. You must be aware of that, Kumiko. If I achieve my goal, if I ever become special-"

"You're special to me." Kumiko clapped a hand over her mouth. Reina merely chuckled.

"You're terrible. In any case, Kumiko, it wouldn't render me impervious to my surroundings. I would still, in the end, be able to get hurt, be rejected, all of that. My goal is not to become more than myself, it is to push myself to my very limits so that I can be truly special. We can't be any more than ourselves, none of us can, and I sincerely hope that you understand that."

"I do." Kumiko meant it, too, as she thought back to the bus earlier that day. Reina was not a dancing, blazing fire, nor was she a brilliant, radiant ice queen. She wasn't the sun to Kumiko's Icarus metaphor. She was a girl. A rather strange girl, one with complex, idealistic motives and eyes that shone like precious jewels, but a girl nonetheless. Kumiko was glad, in some far reach of her mind, that she was at least rational (and awake) enough to realize that. Reina, with a hesitation that Kumiko had never seen before - the girl's actions were usually so deliberate, so full of intention, that it was just plain _weird_ to see her being this tentative - took Kumiko's hand into her own and squeezed it, holding it in such a way that she seemed to be saying _I won't abandon you_ without a single word spoken. The two girls stood there for what could have been a long time or just a second, but it was over all too soon as Reina suddenly turned on her heel - Kumiko had just noticed that she wasn't wearing socks either - and headed back inside. Kumiko slid the door shut, taking one last look at the landscape. Reina seemed to have a penchant for those things, she thought. Kumiko slipped into her bed without another word.

* * *

It was nearly pitch-black in the hotel room, and Kumiko had just woken up from a rather nostalgic dream, filled with things she hardly even thought of anymore. The digital clock blinked _4:05,_ and she prepared to roll over and go back to sleep. A soft shuffling could be heard in the room, and Kumiko curiously looked up to see what it was. She could just barely make out Reina's silhouette in the darkness, and didn't think to say anything to her in her half-asleep state. Kumiko wasn't really _thinking,_ per se, not in the middle of the night in a strange hotel room, and so she didn't comment when the other girl quietly crawled into Kumiko's bed, just barely close enough to touch, and lay still. Kumiko sleepily draped her arms around her, relishing in her warmth, and one solid thought managed to make its way through her brain before she fell back asleep.

 _Pedestals and crappy metaphors don't hold a candle to the real thing._


	8. couch cuddles

**a/n:** alternate title: the author can't write clexa to save her life but wanted to react to 3x03 through fic and therefore this masterpiece was born (could be considered a sequel to that monopoly fic)

* * *

Kumiko wasn't quite sure, really, why her heart never sped up, like the people in the movies said it would, whenever Reina was in the room. On the contrary, she felt far more relaxed when she was with the other girl - her breathing steadied, her whole world focused on the trumpet player. On this particular night, staying at her house to watch a television series that Reina had quickly gotten herself hooked on, Kumiko felt strangely at peace. Reina was staring at the television as if nothing else mattered, not even noticing the fact that Kumiko was slowly leaning in towards her, eventually coming to rest on her shoulder. Reina didn't speak, didn't even seem to be breathing, as she watched the characters engage in a tense conversation in a tower, surrounded by lit candles. Kumiko considered waving a hand in front of her face to see if she'd notice, but ultimately decided against it. Sitting here, watching TV with the girl of her dreams, it was the kind of thing she would have fantasized about in middle school. In her past self's mind, the "date" - if it could even be called that - would have ended with the two kissing passionately, or at the very least holding hands without any intention to ever let go. Of course, now she knew that most people didn't make out on leather couches during the end credits, and hands were more or less made to be let go of.

"Who's your favorite?" Kumiko asked. Reina pointed to the character currently speaking onscreen without a second's hesitation.

"Her," she said. "The commander." She let her hand fall back onto the couch, and it was only then when Kumiko started to notice that Reina was sweating, her hands clenched with a tension that Kumiko had only ever seen before the events of the competition.

"H-hey, are you okay?" Reina blinked.

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"You're, uh, kinda sweating, and you look sorta pale."

"It's nothing," Reina insisted. "I'm just concerned for her, that's all."

"Oh." That seemed like a logical enough explanation - Kumiko would have been stressing over the characters' fates too, if she hadn't been preoccupied with Reina's presence taking over the whole room.

* * *

Kumiko still didn't understand why Reina had invited her to watch the show with her in the first place - she didn't seem to take any notice of her, and she didn't ask for Kumiko's input on anything. Kumiko wondered if Reina even remembered if she was there - she didn't ask Kumiko if she wanted any popcorn when the show paused for commercial breaks, and she didn't push her away when Kumiko continued to nudge herself closer.

"Is she the hero?" Kumiko asked, pointing to one of the characters. Reina appeared thoughtful for a moment - drumming her fingers on the couch arm as the characters spoke in hushed tones on the television.

"She is the protagonist, yes, but I wouldn't go as far to say that she's a 'hero.' There's a fair bit of moral complexity involved - people die, decisions are made, and it seems like everyone has had blood on their hands at one point or another. Besides, has there ever been any person alive that could even be considered a hero?"

"Huh?"

"We're naturally flawed. That's what it means to be human, to make mistakes and to do things we might later regret."

"I think I get what you mean."

"Obviously, there's a difference between, say, challenging an upperclassman in an audition and . . . murder, but the comparison still stands. None of us are inherently 'good' or 'bad.' We're defined by our actions, our impact on others and ourselves. So, yes, to some she is the hero, but I'm sure that others wouldn't see it as that." Kumiko couldn't think of anything to say in response, instead opting for settling further into Reina's (or, rather, her family's) soft, leathery couch. There was a pile of blankets neatly stacked beside the couch that Kumiko had somehow just noticed, and she absentmindedly stroked the material. "You can take one, if you want," Reina said, tearing her eyes away from the television for just a moment. "It does tend to get somewhat frigid in here."

"T-thank you," Kumiko mumbled, picking up a blanket and wrapping herself in it like a bug in a cocoon. Music with mysterious lyrics played from the tinny speakers as Reina pressed herself up against Kumiko - or, rather, her blanket. Kumiko tentatively wrapped her arms around the other girl, a gesture that was quickly returned when Reina leaned on her shoulder and snuggled closer as the episode came close to reaching what must have been its emotional climax. "Wait . . . is she . . . is she bowing?" Reina's eyes widened, straightening up in her seat.

"She is." Reina pressed a single finger to Kumiko's mouth, a clear enough gesture of _stay quiet this is really important._ Kumiko didn't dare speak until the show had once again cut to commercials and Reina had gone back to comfortably resting against Kumiko.

"T-that . . . that sounded like a marriage proposal. Are they married now? Did those two girls just get married?" Kumiko wouldn't admit it, but she felt giddy with joy. Her heart had sped up, thumping in her chest as if it wanted to get out. Reina looked more elated than Kumiko had ever seen her - rocking back and forth, a smile spreading across her face.

"I believe so," she said, reaching for Kumiko's hand and holding it tightly. "In any case, I would assume that we'll be treated to more interactions next week. I'll be counting the minutes until then, Kumiko." There was no need for Reina to have spoken her name just then, and Kumiko wondered if that had been an invitation to watch the show again. "Perhaps we could watch at your house next time," Reina continued, answering Kumiko's question before she even asked. "It's getting late, though. I suppose we should both . . . get some . . . sleep . . ." Reina fell asleep before she could even turn off the television, nestling into Kumiko's sweater. Kumiko silently wished for the show to never end, and quickly realized that this was quite similar to the things she had dreamed of.


	9. nationals

**a/n:** i started this like a month ago and then i forgot about it up until yesterday, when i suddenly felt the intense desire to write the closest thing to angst i can write in the canonverse of a fandom where nobody dies and this this beautiful disaster was born

* * *

The middle of the night, Kumiko often realized, was the best time for musings. In this particular case, sitting alone on the school roof while the band celebrated their win at the Nationals - _their win at the Nationals, the_ freaking _Nationals_ \- she didn't try to think about one singular thing, instead letting the thoughts weave their way through her head. The countless hours of work poured into this, this competition that they had all worked _so, so hard_ for, it had all paid off in the end, but there was a lingering sense of _what now?_ that Kumiko couldn't quite shake off.

"I'm not surprised," Reina quipped, leaning on a railing with her trumpet case delicately placed at her feet. Kumiko let out a yelp of surprise.

"H-how'd you know I got here?!"

"I didn't see you downstairs, so this was really the only other logical location I could think of. If you hadn't been here, I would've assumed that you had fled the school altogether." Reina softly chuckled, and Kumiko's cheeks flushed at the sound.

"A-anyway, I guess this finally means that you're special, huh?"

"Not at all."

"Huh?"

"This is an accomplishment for the band, I can't deny that in the slightest, but it's also a title, and nothing more. Kitauji will have gold to gather dust in glass cases long after we've graduated, but that won't affect us." _Us_. Kumiko still wasn't used to how that sounded, the togetherness of it. It made her nervous, but on some level it gave her a tiny surge of excitement. Reina sat down next to her, kicking off her heels and undoing her ponytail. Kumiko could see how much energy that competition, the end of the line, had taken, how _hard_ it must have been for her. "You feel it too, don't you?"

"Feel what?"

"The emptiness. Isn't that why you're up here? We - you, me, every single member of the band - we all gave it our all, and now it's done. It's over."

"Y-yeah, I guess."

"It's not like we can just remain the same people after all of this. How many plans have all of us cancelled, how many people have we tuned out, how many-" Kumiko flinched, and Reina paused mid-sentence. "Kumiko? Is everything all right?"

 _Crap, crap, not now, not now, can't think of that now._ "Y-yeah," she mumbled. "I'm fine." Kumiko was not, in fact, fine - she was trembling all over, feeling her mind tumble away from the rooftop and fall into the deep, dark abyss that contained all of those memories, _oh crap those memories,_ she had given up so much and gotten closure on so little and-

"You're pale." Reina interrupted her thoughts rather abruptly. "Do you need me to take you to the nurse?"

"N-no, it's okay."

"You don't look okay."

"I-it's all fine, really!"

"If it's really fine, then I suppose I should just go back downstairs and-"

"Don't, p-please."

"Hmm?"

"I . . . I don't want to be alone." Reina sat back down.

"What's bothering you?"

"Oh, uh, n-nothing in particular. I just c-can't lose you."

"It's cold out here. If you don't want to face the party again, we could go somewhere else in the school. You don't look well, and if it's due to this cold then the best way to get around that is to go inside, where there's central heating. And walls." Kumiko sighed in defeat.

"Fine."

* * *

"Somewhere else in the school," according to Reina, apparently meant a desolate hallway on the other side of Kitauji's campus.

"There's a soft bench over there, if you need to sit down." Kumiko quickly nodded and let herself sink into the bench's fabric, plucking at a loose thread as if she had been doing it her whole life. "I tend to study a lot here," Reina continued. "It's part of the old campus, so it's usually less crowded. I'm not quite sure why it hasn't been torn down, but I'm glad that nobody seems to notice it." Kumiko looked around - now that Reina mentioned it, she could see that the walls were slightly cracked, paint peeling at the edges as small cobwebs hung in the windows. It wasn't obvious, not at first, but Kumiko couldn't unsee the slow crumbling of the place, the way that it was falling apart without attention given to it, yet still remained standing, untouched by the school authorities or other students. There was a strange beauty to the building, really, lit up by the night sky as Reina paced back and forth, her shoes making a _click-clack_ noise against the tiled floor.

"I'm fine, really, it's nothing to worry about," Kumiko insisted, sensing Reina's feelings of unease. "I guess I just got kinda freaked out about this whole Nationals thing."

"Well, if you're truly feeling better, I have something to show you." With that, Reina started to make her way out the door, heading to the main building - the only place in the school with its lights on at the moment. Kumiko followed, and she was grateful when Reina didn't comment on the fact that she was holding the other girl's hand tightly, as if she was afraid to let go.

* * *

"We'll have to be quiet to avoid the eyes of the others," Reina whispered once the two girls had reached the floor where the band was celebrating. Kumiko lifted a finger to her lips and nodded. Reina tiptoed across the hallway with her usual, unfaltering grace, and Kumiko awkwardly shuffled behind her, cringing whenever her shoe accidentally made a noise loud enough to attract attention. "Here," Reina said, stopping abruptly at a spot on the wall. Kumiko looked at the thing she had been brought to see, and she immediately felt the air leave her lungs. It was a framed photograph, taken directly after the regional competition, with the words _Kitauji High School Concert Band, Gold Winners, 2015_ neatly printed underneath. Everyone was standing together, smiling, with a few students holding up the certificate in joy while others hugged and grinned. Tears sprang to Kumiko's eyes, and any remaining breath she may have had after the photograph had stolen it was gone when Reina intertwined her fingers with Kumiko's.

"T-this . . . this is what you wanted me to see?" Reina nodded.

"I was meeting with Taki-sensei-" Kumiko, despite herself, could feel her body flaring with frustration and jealousy. "Is something else the matter?" Kumiko shook her head. "As I was saying, I noticed this poking out of a stack of his things in his office. I suggested that he put it up on the wall outside of the band room, to remind us of what we've truly accomplished. A trophy or certificate can only say so much, after all. I haven't become special, not yet, but _this_ -" Reina gestured to the photo, "- _this_ is what the future students should remember us by. I'm going to keep on working towards my goal, and nothing will ever stop that, but this, here, is far more precious than any self-absorbed ideal. This is _real,_ and it'll remain real for as long as we live, for as long as this school stands. We may have won the highest honor that a high school's concert band can win, but _this_ is what was truly worth everything in the end." Kumiko stopped trying to hold the tears back, letting them quietly spill down her cheeks until they turned to loud, heaving sobs, and Reina wrapped her in a hug, pressing herself against the girl until there was no more distance between them. Kumiko looked back up at the photograph, her tear-stained vision blurring it just enough so that the faces were indistinguishable, but she quickly realized that she could still tell who everyone was through tiny details.

 _That's Knuckles, from percussion . . . that's Mizore Yoroizuka, the oboe player . . . there's Shuichi . . . and Asuka . . . and me and Reina._ The people up there were her friends, her acquaintances, and more. It wasn't a faceless blob of brass and uniforms, like her middle school had been, and for that she knew that a fresh bout of tears were about to spill, and she buried her face in Reina's shoulder without another word.

"It would be foolish, and honestly a bit too optimistic, if I said that everything could only get better from here," Reina said. "Despite that, I'd like to think that it will. We won the 'Nationals,' after all, and that's no small feat." Kumiko smiled.

"Y-yeah," she murmured.

"If you want, we can head back to the party now."

"That'd be great, t-thank you." The two girls walked through the door, hand-in-hand, barely noticeable among the sixth or so students laughing and chatting and playing games, and for that they were glad. This was the band, and this was more than Kumiko could have hoped for.


	10. beach

**a/n:** this prompt was suggested by an anon on tumblr, thank you for this

it's the middle of winter and yet here i am with the beach episode the ova (thankfully) didn't deliver, but this was fun to write and "swimming duel" is a pair of words i never thought i would have to add into a story

* * *

Kumiko knew that going to the beach was a bad idea. She didn't know why, couldn't quite put a finger on what exactly could go wrong on just a nice, simple day at the beach, hosted by a reluctant Taki, but something gnawed at her brain, whispering _turn back turn back turn back_ as the bus pulled up to the sandy parking lot. Asuka practically leapt out, prancing ahead of the rest of the band with a devious grin on her face. Kumiko made a mental note to keep an eye on her. Yuuko adamantly refused to leave the bus.

"C'mon, ribbon girl, it'll be fun!" Natsuki insisted. Yuuko shook her head.

"I may not look like it, but I'm not really the most outdoorsy person, you know! It looks pretty hot out there. There are _much_ better things to do with my time than to sit out in the blazing sun all day."

"Ya make a compelling point, but it's not enough to sway me. Even _Kumiko's_ going." Kumiko was too busy making sure that Asuka didn't set anything on fire to notice the comment. Midori had somehow managed to bring her entire contrabass with her, and she carried it on her back with impressive strength for someone her size. Yuuko finally gave in and followed Natsuki outside, her flip-flops pattering on the pavement.

* * *

 _It's been an hour. Nothing's happened yet. We'll be fine._ Unbeknownst to the rest of the band, Kumiko was silently wrestling with herself as she let her toes curl in the cold, water-soaked sand near the ocean. Yuuko and Reina both refused to go anywhere near the water, Midori had started playing her contrabass on the dock, and Natsuki was busy attempting to bury herself entirely in sand. Asuka was nowhere to be found.

* * *

Nowhere to be found, at least, until she abruptly burst out of the sand-pile next to Natsuki's with her finger pointed in the air with the sun behind her like an anime protagonist prepared to challenge their greatest rival. Natsuki jumped out of the way. Yuuko groaned.

"Reina Kousaka!" Asuka yelled, a confident smirk plastered across her face. Kumiko's stomach twisted itself into knots. _This isn't going to go well, is it?_

"I challenge you to a swimming duel!" Reina shifted uncomfortably in her spot, trying to sink into the towel.

"I don't think that's a real thing," Midori squeaked.

"It is now."

"Isn't that just called a race?" Hazuki inquired. Asuka glared at both of them. "Anyway, you have an hour to prepare."

"What happens if I lose?" The entire band turned to look at Reina, standing in front of Asuka with her head held high. Asuka grinned.

"'We-e-ell,'" she purred, strolling over to where Kumiko was still standing. Kumiko shuddered, knowing with a certainty that whatever Asuka was about to say would end in disaster. "I think that if I win, I'll let Kumiko here have a _private lesson_ with the senior euphonium here, how does that sound?" Kumiko blinked. _That doesn't actually sound so bad. She's more experienced, so I might actually learn something. It could definitely be worse._ Reina didn't seem to share the sentiment, taking Kumiko's hand and pulling her back from the older girl. To anyone else, it would seem like the trumpet player was as determined as a person could be, but Kumiko could see the unsteadiness in her stance, the nervous flickering back and forth of her violet eyes. Something was wrong, but Kumiko didn't have the slightest clue what it could be.

"Fine," Reina muttered. "I refuse to step down."

"I'll take my leave, then," Asuka sighed. "Expect my return in an hour." With that, she walked away, leaving Kumiko and Reina to stand in confusion. Reina was still holding onto Kumiko's hand, looking down and shuffling her feet in the sand. Kumiko would have considered the irony of the situation's near-perfect role reversal if Reina hadn't immediately turned to her with a faltering sense of pride in her eyes.

"Is, uh, is something wrong?" Kumiko asked, unsure of how to break the tension.

"I can't do it."

"What?"

"I would rather not be forced to repeat that statement, Kumiko. I said, I can't do it."

"Can't do what? Beat Asuka? I'm sure she's not that fast, and even if she does win, it's not like she's going to kill you. A private lesson doesn't sound horrible."

"I can't swim." Reina cast her gaze out to the churning water, sparkling underneath the sun. The statement was so quiet that Kumiko barely heard it, but she wasn't about to make Reina confess to it again.

"Why'd you accept the challenge, then?" she wondered.

"I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I backed down."

"You're kinda taking this too seriously, Kousaka!" Natsuki yelled, splashing Yuuko with a cracked plastic bucket she seemed to have found abandoned on the beach.

"In any case, I refuse to give up without some kind of a fight."

"S-so, does that mean you want me to . . . teach you . . . how to swim?" The words felt strange in Kumiko's mouth, the sudden realization that she had knowledge of something that Reina didn't. Not very much knowledge, nothing more than a few hazy memories of classes taken when she was younger and exactly one attempt to become a lifeguard, but enough. It would have to be enough, considering the fact that the only other qualified person on the beach was Natsuki, and she seemed preoccupied, to say the least.

"Yes. Now, we're running short on time, so I would assume that a crash course would provide the most use here."

"Y-yeah, sure, no problem." Kumiko had, in all honesty, absolutely no idea where to begin.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Kumiko was able to coax Reina into the water, where she firmly sat for another ten minutes. It was only after the halfway mark of the allotted hour of preparation that the two girls had actually started to make progress, and Reina had succeeded in dog-paddling her way across a short distance.

"I don't plan on losing to the likes of her, Kumiko, I hope you understand that," she murmured, pausing to catch her breath. Kumiko tried not to think about how Reina looked in the water just then, with droplets sliding off of her hair like dew from a morning flower, how she-

"Hey! Give it back!" Kumiko turned to the source of the yelling, nearly expecting to see Natsuki dangling something above Yuuko's head, but instead she saw both of them pursuing a floating object that Kumiko quickly identified as Yuuko's ribbon, dipping and turning in the clear blue sky.

"The wind's a jerk, I hope ya know that." Yuuko made one last futile jump before crumbling to the ground in defeat.

"I know." Natsuki stood in silence for a moment before an imaginary lightbulb seemed to go off in her head.

"C'mon, I think I know something that'll cheer you up."

Kumiko looked away from the event to return to instructing Reina, who was still swimming weakly behind her.

"You understand why this matters, don't you?" she asked. Kumiko slowly shook her head.

"I mean, I get that you don't want to lose to Asuka, but this really shouldn't stress you out this much."

"It's not just that. Couldn't you hear the deliberation in her voice when she determined the stakes of the challenge? Kumiko, I know that she was trying to go on a date with you." Kumiko was grateful for the convenient cold ocean water for her to stick her face in when she started to feel her cheeks flush. "Kumiko?"

"I'm fine. T-that's why you're so dead-set on winning this thing?"

"Yes."

"W-well, I guess we shouldn't lose then."

* * *

The remaining time went by all too fast, and before Kumiko knew it, Asuka had returned to the spot on the beach with a pair of goggles and that same confident smirk. Natsuki and Yuuko were nowhere to be seen.

"Well, well, I sure do hope that this is a fair race, don't you?" Reina gritted her teeth.

"I won't lose," she muttered, her voice cold and even.

"Oh, you say that, but I don't plan on losing either. Now, if we could just find a judge-"

"I'll do it!" Hazuki piped up. Asuka shrugged.

"Fine. You can do that."

"Okay, ready, set-"

"Ah, I'm afraid that we'll have to cut this trip short." Taki stood on the dock, watching the band with a calm smile. "I've heard that there's a storm on the way, and I would be doing a disservice as a teacher if I allowed you all to continue out here in such dangerous conditions." The band collectively groaned, gathering their things and reluctantly shuffling back towards the bus.

"You had the weather on your side, but I'll let it slide," Asuka sighed. "Private lessons aren't really my thing, anyway."

* * *

"I'll be taking attendance," Taki began, standing at the forefront of the crowded bus, "so that we don't accidentally leave anyone behind. Now-"

"Wait!" Yuuko and Natsuki ran frantically to the bus, with the cracked bucket in Natsuki's arms as a new-looking purple ribbon bounced on Yuuko's head.

"Don't leave without us!" Kumiko stifled a laugh. Taki waited for the two girls to head to the back of the bus before resuming his speech.

"Where was I? Ah, yes, attendance . . ."


	11. the difference between persons a & b

**a/n:** this was brought on by a tumblr text post. you know the one. also thank you romanimp for providing me with the motivation needed to finish this

* * *

"So . . . Harvard, huh?" Reina turned around, looking for the source of the voice. Kumiko leaned in the doorway, holding a clumsily wrapped package in her hand. Reina chuckled.

"You heard?"

"H-hey, how could I not?" Kumiko shuffled awkwardly in place, plucking at a peeling strand of paint on the wall.

"It's all right if you come in." Kumiko breathed a sigh of relief and started to kick off her shoes before tripping on one of the shoelaces and ungracefully flopping a few feet short of Reina's bed - their shared bed, really, since Kumiko practically lived in the apartment - and held out the package. "What's this?" Kumiko stood back up and dusted herself off.

"It's a farewell present. I mean, if you're going to _Harvard,_ of all places, we won't see each other as much, so I thought-"

"I'm not going." Kumiko nearly dropped the present.

"What?"

"It was never my intention to begin with. I suppose I just wanted to have something besides the trumpet underneath my belt, something else I could be proud of. You must have something like that too, an achievement you accomplished just for what others might call bragging rights." Kumiko thought for a moment.

"I ate fifteen cold hot pockets in a row once." Reina blinked.

"Why?"

"I don't actually remember. It was in middle school, when the winter was almost over but it was still kinda cold."

"You remember the weather, but not the reason why you ate fifteen cold hot pockets in a row?"

"All I remember beyond that was going home in the morning. A few people were worried, I think."

"Wait, I think I might've been there that day. The teacher kept on repeating your name, but you weren't there, and eventually someone had to step in and tell her that you had gone home."

"A-anyway, you should be glad that you weren't around when it happened. It was a pretty good achievement, but I don't think it was, uh, worth the repercussions." Kumiko gagged at the memory.

"Regardless, there's something I was about to tell you, before you launched into your explanation of the hot pocket incident. As I was saying, it's an achievement I'll carry around with me forever, but that's all it is. I did it to prove myself, that's all."

"That sounds like something you'd say," Kumiko chuckled, trying to mask her overwhelming relief with a weak attempt at humor. Reina wasn't going to a faraway college. She was going to be fine. The relationship, if it could be called that, was going to be fine.

"Actually, I had something for you prepared already, though I was expecting to give it to you later. Alas, there's no better time then the present, it seems, so I'll just give it to you now." Reina briefly looked through her shelves to find a small box wrapped in blue, velvety paper. "An impromptu gift exchange isn't the worst thing to possibly happen, after all." Kumiko carefully took the blue box into her hands and tore away the wrapping paper. The box, as it turned out, contained two train tickets neatly stacked on top of each other. "You remember that night on the mountain when I said that I wanted to just hop on a train and travel, right?"

 _How could I forget?_ "Y-yeah, I remember."

"That can happen now, Kumiko. We can really run away, if you want to call it running away, and we don't have to look back." Tears were welling up in Kumiko's eyes as Reina delicately unwrapped Kumiko's package.

"It's nothing nearly as heartfelt or important, but I just kinda wanted you to have something to remember me by," Kumiko blubbered. Reina held up the gift and smiled.

"I don't know what you're talking about. This is perfect." The gift happened to be a silver bag charm in the shape of a trumpet.

"There's a note, too," Kumiko mumbled. Reina unfolded the paper and a small smile spread across her face.

 _reina-_

 _i'm going to miss you when you go to harvard (congrats by the way, that's really amazing) so i got you this so that you wouldn't forget about me. i know i won't ever forget you. this is cheesy as heck, but i'd stop the world for you. i'd scale a hundred mountains. i'd fight 2000 bees, which is a thing i definitely would do when given the chance. anyway, i-_

The ink was blotted out after that, blurred words surrounded by now-dry droplets on the paper.

"I meant to say that I love you," Kumiko mumbled. "I guess I sorta wasted my big reveal and crap since you're not actually leaving, but it's too late now." Reina smiled.

"You're terrible," she laughed, kissing Kumiko on the lips as she tossed the note aside. "You shouldn't fight two thousand bees, though. They're docile if unprovoked, but I would assume that two thousand stings would be somewhat painful." Kumiko looked down, disappointment evident in her face. "I love you too, by the way."

"I knew that," Kumiko scoffed.

"In the same way that you knew the consequences of eating fifteen hot pockets?"

"Who's the terrible one now?"

"I think it's still you."

"So, when are we leaving on the train?"

"I was considering tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan."


	12. snow

**a/n:** DOES ANYONE ELSE REMEMBER THIS MEME

* * *

"Uh, Reina?"

"Yes?"

"C-couldn't we just wait until the snow stops to go out and buy groceries?"

"We have an umbrella, and it's not snowing very hard. I don't see the problem." Reina tapped the worn umbrella she was holding for emphasis. Kumiko looked out the window of the apartment building's lobby, the view painted a fuzzy white by the snowfall.

"And there's a news team out there!" Kumiko yelped, barely managing to make out a blur of people and cameras standing in the road. Reina gave a split-second smirk in response, and Kumiko knew that she had already lost. Reina nonchalantly took hold of Kumiko's hand and walked outside, poised and elegant as ever in her long coat. Kumiko hid behind Reina and attempted to tiptoe away from the newscasters. One of them caught her eye and tried to usher her over. Kumiko shook her head.

"Hey!" the newscaster yelled. "You two! Couple! Ah, whatever, we'll just bring the camera over to you." Kumiko briefly thought that this seemed extremely unprofessional, but she hardly had time to think before the snow-covered camera was in front of her and a microphone was shoved in Reina's face.

"I'll say something uncomfortably romantic," Reina whispered. "We'll get out of this, don't worry."

"Great idea!" Kumiko whispered back. "They'll eat that up." Reina took a deep breath, and Kumiko fully expected a kiss on the cheek or a short ' _this weather is nice.'_

"Being in the snow with my lover like this immerses me in a special feeling," Reina said. Kumiko turned red and buried her face in her hands. "I like it." With that, Reina strutted off, umbrella and Kumiko in tow.

* * *

Four hours and a tired grocery trip later, Kumiko and Reina were sitting together on their bed as the nighttime news came on, the anchors droning on in monotone voices about politics and the weather, 'the weather, oh crap the weather, oh god oh god oh-'

"H-hey, this is kinda boring, why don't we-"

 _"And we caught these two on camera earlier today in the midst of the snowstorm! They walked away without a trace, but we've seen enough to know exactly what's going on."_ Kumiko and Reina both sat there, slack-jawed, as the footage of themselves played in front of them.

"I wasn't expecting them to actually use that," Reina murmured.

"D-did you mean it?" Kumiko asked, hoping that the wobble in her voice wasn't obvious. "The lover stuff?"

"Of course I didn't," Reina scoffed. Kumiko clenched the remote in her hand. Reina's face softened. "Why would standing in the middle of a snowstorm immerse me in a special feeling? This, right here-" Reina wrapped her hand around Kumiko's "-this is a far more special feeling than I'll ever show to the likes of the public."


	13. fake dating

**a/n:** pretty sure i subconsciously based this on an episode of this harem anime i watched a year and a half ago without knowing it was a harem anime until like the eighth episode. when supernatural battles became commonplace still haunts my dreams.

* * *

Words such as _happy_ and _giddy_ couldn't even begin to describe Kumiko's excitement when Reina had asked her to get lunch that day, the day before Valentine's Day, _the day before Valentine's Day._ Reina hadn't framed it in a particularly date-like context - she needed somewhere to go that day, Kumiko was available, and a few of the restaurants were having special deals. Kumiko had found herself rolling around excitedly on the floor for what must have been at least an hour before she realized that she needed to prepare, whatever that entailed. The terribly cheesy movies that Natsuki had lent to her upon hearing about their tentative relationship had, at least, given her somewhat of an idea about what to do and what to expect - wear nice clothes, stand near a pretty fountain, try not to act too flirty - but most of the thoughts of the date were filled with far more fantastical images in her mind, hand-holding and kissing on park benches. _It's just lunch,_ she reminded herself. _Nothing more._ Kumiko turned to the cactus on her table.

"It's nothing more, alright?" she growled at the plant. It was unresponsive, as usual. "You're a crappy wingman, you know that?" Kumiko knocked over the cactus and slumped on the table.

* * *

Kumiko propped the cactus back up fifteen minutes later with a bag hanging from her shoulder. She sat, cross-legged, in front of the plant, and tried to reason with it.

"It's the day before Valentine's Day. Not actually the day itself, which means that she couldn't have picked today based on the date." The thought sent a pang of disappointment through her, an ache she didn't know could exist this painfully based on such a simple statement, but she continued on. "B-but this is _Reina_ we're talking about. She's mysterious, strange, _deliberate,_ everything she does has a meaning to it. The day before Valentine's Day, the thirteenth of February, it has to mean something. R-right?" The cactus remained silent, practically taunting her. Kumiko gave up and walked out the door.

* * *

Reina sat on the bench outside of the diner, giving Kumiko a small wave when she came into view.

"I wasn't expecting you to come," she said, promptly standing up and heading in the direction of the diner. "You didn't respond to the messages, so I had assumed you were busy."

"B-but you were still waiting here."

"Yes, but I also come here rather often anyway. The world doesn't revolve solely around your schedule, Kumiko. There are things that happen regardless of your involvement. I figured that I would be 'killing two birds with one stone,' so to speak, if I went here and invited you along as well."

"Yeah, but-"

"We're here." _Here,_ it seemed, was a cozy-looking diner with booths stretching out as far as Kumiko could see. Couples filled every seat, feeding each other spoonfuls of their own food and holding hands under the tables. She began to wonder if the cactus - or, rather, one section of her own thoughts - happened to be right and Reina had intentionally chosen this day for the meeting. "A table for two, please," Reina requested, already on her way to an empty booth. Kumiko followed.

"Eh, you two ladies out on a date today?" the man at the counter called. Kumiko turned to Reina for any reaction, but she remained stoic. Kumiko felt her hands shaking, and she resisted the all-consuming urge to hold Reina's for comfort. She hadn't realized how _cold_ the diner was, but the door was still open, blowing in the freezing wind, and the lack of air conditioning only added to the feeling. Despite this, however, Kumiko still felt a warming sense of calm among the people - dozens of strangers, all smiling and laughing and eating food without a care in the world.

* * *

It wasn't long after Kumiko and Reina had sat down when a waitress came up to them, asking for their orders.

"By the way," she said, nearly out of breath from rattling off the day's specials, "-we have a deal this weekend. Couples, such as yourselves, eat half-off. It's a huge bargain, huh?" The waitress had winked while saying 'such as yourselves,' and Kumiko was just about to correct her when Reina nodded and pointed to her order.

"That isn't a particularly reasonable business practice," she noted. "It might cause problems down the road. People masquerading as couples, and all that. It's a cliche idea, but it's not impossible." The waitress leaned down to look Reina in the eye, suspicion plain on her face.

"What, then, are you and your _girlfriend_ pretending too?"

"No."

"Well, then, I'll be back with your orders, but I've got my eye on you two."

"What was that about?" Kumiko asked as soon as the waitress was out of earshot. Reina shrugged.

"I figured that it wouldn't be horribly immoral to take advantage of the situation. After all, they must be award of the potential consequences, so who are we to abide by unseen rules that people must be 'actual' couples to get a small bargain? If it makes you uncomfortable, we don't have to do it."

"N-no, it's fine," Kumiko mumbled.

"Hmm?"

"I said, it's fine. We'll pretend to be a couple." Reina smiled, and Kumiko was sent into a spiraling vortex of confusing, sunshine-y feelings once again.

* * *

Kumiko had been enjoying the "fake couple" concept far more than she wanted to let on, and a small part of her wished that it _wasn't_ fake, that she and Reina were really on a date. Reina was getting into it as well, occasionally squeezing Kumiko's hand or whispering sweet nothings in her ear. It was an act, Kumiko knew that better than anyone - this wasn't Reina, not really, she was putting on a false façade for any onlookers, but Kumiko couldn't help but cling to the hope that some of it _was_ real, that she wasn't just pretending.

"Hey, the lady in the kitchen told me to keep an eye out for you two. Any reason for that?" Kumiko and Reina both looked up from a particularly overdramatic hand-holding session to see a grumpy-looking waiter holding two platters of food.

"N-no sir, no reason at all, nope," Kumiko stuttered. Reina stayed silent.

"Kid, I know an act when I see it. You're faking it, aren't you?"

"Are you questioning us?" Reina inquired, her voice cold and formal, and Kumiko felt another surge of admiration for the other girl.

"That's exactly what I'm doing," the waiter grunted. Kumiko didn't know what came over her as she reached over the table, took Reina's face into her hands, and leaned in to kiss her. Reina gave a tiny nod, a barely noticeable indication of her agreement, and the trumpet player closed the distance between them. The kiss was warm, soft, gentle, and Kumiko never wanted it to end. "Okay, okay, alright!" the waiter groaned. "I get it! You're not pretending! Geez, you didn't need to make a scene. Everyone's staring now." Kumiko pulled away. The entire diner was, in fact, looking at the two girls with amused expressions. Kumiko sunk as low as she could into her seat.

* * *

The two girls walked out of the diner about an hour later, still holding hands long after the building had gone out of sight.

"That was rather bold of you, Kumiko," Reina noted, swinging her hand slightly as she walked. "It was terrible, for sure, drawing such attention to the both of us for the sake of a deal at a small diner, but there was something . . . intriguing about it. I wouldn't mind seeing more of that, really."

"I-is this something about the good-girl skin stuff?"

"I suppose it could be. But, more importantly, you weren't hiding in that moment, were you? You weren't pretending. That's what I found admirable. You didn't go along with the crowd. Considering my utter dislike of the crowd, I'm surprised you didn't find that obvious."

"Oh." Kumiko was silent for a moment, stopping at a crack in the sidewalk where tiny green plants had just started to grow. "Hey, Reina?"

"Yes?"

"Were _you_ pretending?" Reina let out a laugh.

"Of course not, Kumiko. Not when we kissed in front of that waiter, at least. Again, I'm surprised you didn't immediately understand that. I wouldn't have returned the gesture if you were only faking. In any case, I think I need to go home now. I'll see you on Monday." Reina gave Kumiko a quick peck on the cheek and walked away, her hair blowing in the wind. Kumiko gingerly touched her own cheek where Reina's lips had brushed against it for just a second, and she thought that perhaps the day before Valentine's Day was better than the holiday itself.


	14. valentine's day

**a/n:** coffeeshop au natsuki is a human disaster tbh, someone please help her

for those of you expecting an extra-fluffy kumirei fic today: the Trash Daughter had been dormant for far too long. i needed to write for her again. sorry.

* * *

Natsuki hated Valentine's Day. This was an indisputable fact, a deep-set hatred that had taken root years ago and only grown since, like a weed snarling around her thoughts. All it did was draw attention to the lonely people, the people without someone by their side. Even if they didn't _want_ a significant other (and Natsuki knew plenty of people like that), people would still silently ridicule those standing alone in the parks and at the restaurants, thinking _oh that poor thing_ and making the people who _did_ feel the desire to have a romantic partner more isolated. The only good thing that came out of it, Natsuki figured, was the half-priced chocolate that was always available the following day. It was with great reluctance and a renewed bitterness towards the holiday, then, that she ended up standing in the convenience store the morning of February 14th, surrounded by red and pink heart-shaped boxes containing all sorts of candy as teddy bears were squashed together in display trays, holding out cheesy messages.

"I can't believe ribbon girl seriously thinks that this bullcrap holiday is sweet," she muttered, picking up a teddy bear and promptly setting it back down when she saw the price tag. Some awful top-of-the-charts love song drowned out any kind of rational thought as the singer chanted about her precious, _perfect_ boyfriend. _Lies,_ Natsuki thought. _People aren't perfect. It doesn't matter whether they've got the most beautiful eyes or the most breathtaking smile. It's all gonna be screwed up in the end if you don't understand each other._ The song continued, and Natsuki had a very brief moment of contemplation where she considered giving the manager a playlist of her own music, but she quickly pushed the thought aside to focus on finding an affordable gift for Yuuko. The Euphonium's salary only really paid enough for her to get her bills out and buy enough groceries to not starve every now and again. It certainly wasn't meant to allot for purchasing overpriced chocolates and stuffed animals, that much was at least clear to her. She used to have a tradition with Kumiko - the barista would return from the coffeeshop that afternoon, usually exhausted from the tail-end of the winter crowd combined with the hordes of couples wanting to go on dates at the local cutesy coffeeshop. Natsuki would load up a series of cheesy movies, and the two girls would watch them until midnight. Natsuki would go out the next day and stock up on cheap chocolates, and they'd laugh and sit together with boxes and boxes of half-priced candy. _Kumiko's got umbrella girl now,_ Natsuki reminded herself. _She doesn't_ need _crappy movies, she's living in one, and meanwhile I'm barely holding myself together here with an almost-girlfriend who thinks I'm weird and all I can ever think of when I'm with her is how different she is from someone else_ _and-_

"Ma'am?" Natsuki was snapped out of her thoughts by a friendly-looking clerk in an appropriately themed pink shirt. "You're . . . hmm . . . how do I phrase this politely . . . coming extremely close to loitering here. You've been at this store for almost two hours and you haven't bought anything. If you don't purchase an item soon, we might need to ask you to leave." Natsuki nearly banged her head against the shelf, irritably grabbing a single small chocolate bar and slamming it on the nearest counter.

"Here," she grunted. "This is my big Valentine's gift for someone who only sorta cares about me, is that a good enough _purchase_ for ya?" Natsuki shoved a stack of coins in the face of the clerk behind the counter. "Your music sucks, by the way!" she yelled, carrying the chocolate bar as she walked backwards through the automatic sliding doors.

* * *

 _I'm an awful person,_ she thought, turning the chocolate bar around in her hands as she absentmindedly tugged at the couch's stitching. Two generic, good-looking people kissed in the rain on the television in front of her. _Those clerks didn't do anything wrong. I should go back there tomorrow and apologize to them, or whatever. I guess I could go today, but they're probably swamped as it is._ Luce licked her hand hanging lazily from the edge of the couch. Natsuki smiled. "At least you still care," she murmured, petting the cat's head. "Kumiko hasn't even texted me about anything. Probably too busy hanging around with umbrella girl, kissing her on a train or whatever. God, they're probably getting each other fancy gifts, too. Can ya imagine how ribbon girl's gonna react to this?" Natsuki waved around the chocolate bar. Luce pawed at it. "Hey, hey, it's not for you. Cats can't have chocolate, and I'm not gonna let my only remaining roommate die on me." Luce gave a confused _mrrow?_ and leapt up onto the couch to join Natsuki. "Maybe I'll just scrounge up some random crap from an old box and call it a gift of sentimentality." Luce curled up and fell asleep. "I'm gonna do that alone, then? Ah, well, whatever."

* * *

Natsuki had been digging through boxes labelled _Nostalgic Garbage_ for about an hour, to no avail. Old clothes that still contained a whiff of people she cared about, wrinkled ticket stubs with years-old dates on them, and photographs of times long past were there in spades, but nothing she could ever give to Yuuko. The only thing that the "expedition" had succeeded in doing was making her sad. Natsuki was about to give up when she saw something poking out of the corner of a box that she had immediately cast aside on account of the fact that it seemed to be filled exclusively with flannel shirts. She pushed away the cassette tapes and curiously crept over to the box, tentatively reaching towards it as if she was afraid of what might lie in there, pressed against all those shirts, presumably left to be forgotten. She looked away when she pulled it out, and her breath caught in her throat as old memories forced themselves up to the surface. It was a letter, carefully stored in a purple envelope. Natsuki could feel the tears forming in her eyes as she read her own name scrawled in that old familiar handwriting. It felt like a lifetime ago, that letter. She hadn't realized how long it really had been. Natsuki didn't even take the letter out of the envelope, instead shoving it back down in the box where it belonged. She wasn't going to throw it out. She couldn't, not really, not yet. Luce, clearly awoken from her nap, padded over to where Natsuki crouched over the boxes. The cat gently butted her head against Natsuki's arm.

"I can't throw it out," she repeated to herself, out loud. "B-but maybe . . . maybe there's something I _can_ do."

* * *

Yuuko entered the apartment hours later with a neatly wrapped gift tucked under her arm. Natsuki greeted her at the door and handed her the chocolate bar without comment, along with something wrapped in a mess of tissue paper. Yuuko raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, thanks?" she said, beginning to unwrap the second gift. Natsuki shook her head.

"Would it be alright if I opened yours first?" she asked, heading for the couch. Yuuko shrugged and joined her.

"I don't see why not," Yuuko responded, shoving the present in front of Natsuki. "Happy Valentine's Day." It was a pair of shimmering earrings, and this time it was Natsuki's turn to raise an eyebrow.

"Wow," she grunted, holding up the jewels to see how they sparkled in the sunlight. "You are . . . really rich, ya know that?"

"In a metaphorical sense or a literal sense?"

"Both. Anyway, thanks." Natsuki shoved the earrings under the couch cushions to make sure that nobody stole them. "Ya can open mine now." Yuuko did, and peered at the object in absolute confusion.

"Is there any meaning behind this?" she inquired. "I mean, I know you're not that well-off, but . . . a single sock? Really?"

"If ya need to know and aren't satisfied with that, there _is_ meaning behind it."

"Yeah?" There was challenge in Yuuko's voice. "What's the meaning?"

"See, we're like . . . ah, how do I put this . . . mismatched socks." Yuuko raised an eyebrow, her ribbon drooping to the side as if it was aware of the situation.

"Come again?"

"Ya know how sometimes socks get lost in the dryer, so ya have to match the remaining ones with others?"

"You have a dryer?"

"Haha, yeah, I'm not the wealthiest gal in the world, I get it. You're a real hoot, ribbon girl. The building has one in the basement, if you're really wondering."

"I wasn't." Yuuko's stoic expression and impatiently drumming fingers betrayed her real thoughts - _get to the point get to the point get to the point._ Natsuki sighed.

"What I mean is that we're like a pair of mismatched socks because . . . because I used to, well, I used to be part of a pair, but now I'm not, because she got lost in the great clothing dryer of life, but now-"

 _"The great clothing dryer of life?"_ Yuuko repeated. " _That's_ why you're so worked up, because of an old ex and some stupid metaphors?"

" _Dammit,_ ribbon girl, can ya just let me finish?" Natsuki's voice rose, causing Luce to jump off the couch in surprise. Yuuko hardly even flinched. "I was just about to say that we're mismatched socks because _now_ I'm part of a pair, with you, or at least I'm _trying_ to be, even though things aren't as easy with ya as they were with . . . with her. Can ya . . . can you get that through your brain?" Yuuko slowly nodded.

"Okay. You could've just said that at first, you know. There's no need for theatrics."

"Oh, _you're_ complaining about theatrics? Geez, ribbon girl, you're a hypocrite if I ever saw one."

"Shut up." Luce quietly crawled back onto the couch.

"Movie night?"

"I don't have anything better to do." Natsuki flipped through the options.

"You know, I used to do this with my old roommate," she commented, clicking on what appeared to be a particularly awful title.

"What, giving her socks as gifts to serve as metaphors, or watching movies?"

"Movies. We didn't really do gifts. Say, are ya free tomorrow?"

"I think so. Why?" Natsuki grinned.

"Well, I think it's been too long since someone's gone to that convenience store with a friend in pursuit of cheap chocolate." The clumsy lead on the television stumbled into her inevitable love interest as the opening credits played, and Natsuki, for once, didn't feel any reservations about looping her arm around Yuuko, letting herself sink into the other girl's warm embrace. The sun set outside, but Natsuki took no notice as she and Yuuko watched cheesy movies together until the crack of dawn.


	15. snowed in

**a/n:** this was inspired by a prompt i submitted to otpprompts several months ago, forgot, and then was reminded of by the blog posting it. great prompt idea, me. thanks, me.

for the record i love the high school musical movies dearly and i'm pretty sure that this is the third time i've mentioned them in a fic

also reina being a lexa stan is a thing that i jokingly came up with in a past fic that has somehow become my favorite headcanon and i'm going to try and incorporate it into everything i write now

* * *

Kumiko and Reina stumbled into Reina's house, snow-covered and freezing, on a Friday evening as a blizzard raged outside.

"I g-guess that's what we get f-for agreeing with T-Taki-sensei on staying after s-school hours for practice," Kumiko said, her teeth chattering as she pressed her whole body against the radiator. In one fluid motion, Reina flung off her coat and pressed her against Kumiko, who was pressed against the radiator.

"I s-suppose it's a good thing that we remembered to bring our coats," Reina commented, trying to find room on the radiator. "Our uniforms on their own aren't particularly warm, although those jackets weren't very much help either." Kumiko looked out the window for a moment, giving Reina a chance to stake her claim on the radiator.

"I don't t-think I'll be able to get home in this weather," Kumiko mumbled. "Would it be alright if I stayed here for a while?" Reina, still draped over the radiator, blinked in surprise.

"I thought that was obvious," she replied. "What, did you assume that I was going to throw you outside in the snow? I'm not ruthless, Kumiko."

"Oh."

* * *

"As long as we're stuck here, I guess we could watch a movie or something," Kumiko suggested, bundling herself in most of Reina's blankets. Reina stood at the kitchen counter, preparing hot chocolate. She looked back at the couch to see Kumiko, still shivering, wrapped in at least five blankets.

"A movie might be nice." Reina carried the two mugs over to the couch. "You know, I've always thought that blankets, when worn correctly, could be used as capes."

"Eh?"

"Perhaps the school should incorporate that into their uniforms. It would be a way to remain warm, at least."

"W-wouldn't that be kinda impractical, though? People would trip over them and stuff."

"Yes, but it would be a way to suggest power - an indication of a commanding presence, if you will." Kumiko didn't comment on the idea and instead turned to the basket of DVDs neatly stacked next to the couch. It was mostly classical fare - black-and-white movies proudly displaying awards on their polished cases, shiny anthologies of actors and actresses long passed.

"You watch this stuff?" Kumiko asked, immediately slapping a hand over her own mouth. _Crap, that was really rude, she probably hates me now, she's probably gonna kick me out into the snow and never speak to me again and-_

"I don't. I've always found those to be somewhat dull, if you want the truth. There's no adventure to them, no high stakes, just a good-looking dead man and a good-looking dead woman crooning love poems to one another. I would much prefer to watch something that gets your heart racing, if you understand what I mean. A story that allows you to feel the emotions of the characters as if you're right beside them, I find those to be far more interesting. Unfortunately, we don't own any of those, but-"

"The _High School Musical_ trilogy?" Kumiko had to hold back a snort. The cases were covered in dust - it was clear that years had gone by since anyone had touched them - and Kumiko had to wonder what they were even doing there.

"A family friend purchased them for me at a young age . . . I suppose she grouped concert band and poorly synchronized singing together as one. My mother never thought to get rid of it. I think that she wanted me to watch it, so that I would have some kind of link to the other children at my school, a mutual topic. I refused to watch it for that very reason, and it's been gathering dust ever since." Kumiko blinked.

"So . . . is that a yes or a no? Because, uh, it kinda seems like we don't have many options aside from these and the classic movies."

"I hadn't finished. I was about to say, I wouldn't mind watching them with someone I care about closely, so yes, we can watch them." Kumiko blushed at the comment and rolled herself off the couch, still wrapped in blankets, and managed to slide in the first disk despite barely being able to move.

* * *

"For someone who supposedly doesn't sing, he's surprisingly adept," Reina commented five minutes into the movie. Kumiko wasn't about to admit that she more or less knew every line by heart. Reina nestled in next to her, leaning on her shoulder.

* * *

"They really are dragging out this romance," Reina added as the leads circled each other in an elaborate dance number. "I had assumed that the writing would be better than people made it out to be, but it's really not." Kumiko chuckled. "What?"

"Y-you were expecting a well-written romance in _High School Musical_?" she laughed. "It's not exactly Oscar-winning art, Reina. Most people watch it because they like the music, not the quality relationships."

"Regardless, I can think of a thousand reasons why she should turn him down, and yet none of them are taking hold."

* * *

Kumiko hummed along as the last song played, and Reina dozed off on her shoulder. She was just about to reach for the next disk when Reina gently tugged at her arm, and Kumiko smiled, looking back at the girl next to her. Reina seemed far more childlike when she was asleep, the guards she worked so hard to keep up fallen as she twitched in her dreams, hands clenching the soft blankets. Kumiko could scarcely believe that this was the same girl who held herself in such high regard during her waking moments, always stoic and uneasy. Reina just seemed tired, now. Kumiko turned off the television and shifted next to her, and they both slept bundled in blankets for hours as the snow raged outside.

* * *

"Hmm? Kumiko?" Reina stirred sleepily, blinking her violet eyes open.

"You're awake. I've, uh, just sorta been sitting here for a while. I tend to wake up pretty easily, but I didn't want to move you." Reina's face turned red.

"I suppose I should apologize for any inconvenience, then," she mumbled. Kumiko waved a sleepy hand dismissively.

"It's not a bad thing. You're really warm."

"Is that a compliment?"

"Y-yeah."

"Well, in that case, perhaps we can return here again next time there's a snowstorm, and you can show me the _art form_ that is the other two movies."

"I'd, uh, I'd like that."

"So would I, Kumiko."


	16. sunset

**a/n:** sorry that this was so short, i didn't have much time to write today due to spending a large amount of time screaming about the leaked clexa scenes

* * *

The rest of the band had long since left for their homes, but something compelled Kumiko to stay at the school for a little while longer, humming to herself as she polished her euphonium.

"You stayed too?" Kumiko let out a yelp of surprise. Reina stood in the doorway, her silhouette standing out against the bright light of Kitauji's windows.

"Y-yeah, I figured it wouldn't, uh, hurt anyone if I hung out here for an hour or so. I saw that this looked kinda dusty, so I just kinda ended up here." Kumiko gestured to her euphonium.

"I was planning on practicing, since nobody will really notice if I'm home late. I can find somewhere else, if you need."

"N-no, here's fine. I could pull up a chair for you, if you want." Reina dropped her bag and sat down next to Kumiko on the windowsill without a word.

"The sun's going down," Reina commented, watching the landscape with wonder in her eyes. "It's more beautiful than it usually is." Kumiko put down her euphonium and stood next to Reina. The sky was tinted purple and orange, the clouds on fire as the sun sank beyond the horizon. "I tend to be on the subway at this time, so I haven't seen it in a while." Kumiko gingerly reached out a hand and wrapped it around Reina's, silent and sleepy and a little hopeful, watching the sun go down as Reina leaned into her chest.


	17. soulmates

**a/n:** soulmate au. yeah.

* * *

The girl eagerly stared at the ticking clock on her wrist, scanning the crowd for someone who shared her nervousness. She held up her wrist to read the single word inscripted on the other side of the clock-like device - _"what."_ She couldn't help but roll her eyes. _"What."_ How could such an important first greeting be duller than that? Nobody seemed to be paying any attention, the people around her on the busy street checking their phones or staring straight ahead. She _knew_ that the soulmate program wasn't always accurate, she _knew_ that it was just as likely to fail as it was to succeed, but the romantic idealist in her had always hoped, always wanted the perfect girl to suddenly appear in front of her eyes or fall from the stars like an angel on a spaceship. _An angel on a spaceship. That's pretty good._ She reached into her bag for something to write with as the counter on her wrist came closer and closer to zero. A chilled wind suddenly blew through the sidewalk, and the girl quickly ducked inside the nearest building, the sleeves on her sweater slipping down and covering the timer. She looked around, realizing that she was inside a small coffeeshop.

 _"What?!"_ a voice yelled from across the coffeeshop. The girl turned to see an older girl with glasses prancing over to her with a sly grin on her face. "Oh, sorry about the commotion. There was someone over there trying to convince me that he was my soulmate. What a ridiculous notion, eh? As if! Anyway, you're close to the old zero-clock, aren't you?" The girl nervously nodded, and thought back to the _"what"_ written on her arm. _S-she . . . she couldn't be my soulmate, could she?_ "Ah, it's nothing to be embarrassed about. I'm Asuka, by the way. Who're you?"

"I'm Kumiko."

"Nice to meet you, Kumiko!" Asuka stuck out her hand - a friendly gesture, one that Kumiko meant to return, but she was too distracted by the blinking zeros on Asuka's wrist. _Does that mean she really . . . she really is my soulmate?_ "Oh, and I'm not being this nice to you because my timer just reached the end of its countdown or anything like that. It's been like that for as long as I can remember, so I either met the _absolute love of my life_ when I was an infant, or I'm my own soulmate. It's not an impossibility, you know. Anyway, I've had my fair share of misunderstandings over the course of my life, so I've gotten pretty good at reading the signs of a near-zero. That's what I've taken to calling you kids, near-zeros. Pretty nifty, huh?" Kumiko didn't respond. "No matter what you're called, the symptoms are all the same. Sweaty palms, eyes darting back and forth, checking your clock. You've got two out of three of those, and I don't blame you for not doing the third. It's freezing in here. I can't believe the utter lack of air conditioning in here. I'd keep my marks hidden too, if I were you. There happen to be a lot of weirdos when it comes to this stuff. Believe me, you'll know who it is when you see them. Good luck!" With that, Asuka sauntered off, hands in her pockets as she left the coffeeshop. Kumiko tentatively rolled up her sleeve to check the numbers. _Twenty seconds,_ she thought. _I can't suddenly meet the love of my life in twenty seconds. It's probably a fluke, like most of them. I mean, how can this stuff really be predicted, anyway? It's just like a dumb dating website, except it's_ branded to your wrist forever. _A reminder of your stupid failures. That's all it is._ Kumiko stood up and walked outside, ready to head home.

 _Ten seconds._

The wind was freezing, and Kumiko instinctively pulled her coat tighter. The chills bit at her ears and whipped at her hair, but still she ran, trying to get home as fast as she could. She wasn't going back inside that coffeeshop.

 _Five seconds._

How could someone use _"what"_ as an accurate indicator of the first moment of love, anyway? Dozens, if not hundreds, of people had said that word to Kumiko over her life. It didn't mean that she was destined to be with them forever.

 _Three._

Most of the usual passerby were gone, kept inside by the cold, but a single figure stood in the middle of the street with a purse slung over their shoulder. Kumiko peered closer, still running, and realized that the figure was a girl, a girl around her age.

 _Two._

A girl around her age that she was about to crash into if she didn't stop soon. Kumiko skidded to a halt and quickly tried to skirt around the stranger, not wanting to cause any trouble.

 _One._

The girl really was quite beautiful, from the scarce seconds Kumiko had seen her, but she wouldn't dare get her hopes up. The counter still had time on it, didn't it?

 _Zero._

"What are you trying to get home to?" Kumiko stopped in her tracks. Her eyes widened, realization slamming into her like a rock wall. "If you continue on like that, you could contract a cold or something worse." Kumiko's mouth went dry as she searched for the right words.

"S-sorry," she mumbled. "I'll try to, uh, be more prepared next time." The girl blinked, brilliant violet eyes meeting Kumiko's own, and muttered something along the lines of _it figures_ before abruptly taking Kumiko's hand and shaking it firmly.

"For starters, my name is Reina," the girl began. "And really, I understand that these are meant to be somewhat cryptic and mysterious and are only meant to edge people along in their lives, but it would be far more convenient if the marks provided more than the first word. If it hadn't been for the timer, I might not have even noticed." Kumiko didn't let go of Reina's warm hand, the blinking timer on it matching hers. "Now, I think that we should get to know each other. I saw a rather charming-looking coffeeshop nearby. Would you be interested?" Kumiko could only nod, trying to hold back the grin that threatened to overtake her entire face. Reina gave a satisfied smile and headed back down the street with Kumiko in tow as the wind continued to blow on the cold winter's day.


	18. hitchhiking

**a/n:** the movie reina is referring to is called _It Happened One Night,_ it's actually really adorable and i recommend it

* * *

"Hitchhiking?" Kumiko muttered in disbelief. "T-that's your great idea? Reina, I know that you want to go and be special and I respect that, I really do, it's one of the things that made me fall for you from the start, but hitchhiking is a terrible idea by anyone's standards. We could _die,_ or worse!" Reina raised an eyebrow.

"You're being awfully dramatic, Kumiko," she said. "It really might be a good experience, you know. We might meet someone interesting, or gain knowledge of someone we wouldn't otherwise know."

" _Or_ we could get kidnapped by a crazy weirdo who saw two college students standing on the side of the road. Couldn't we have just taken a bus or something?" Reina chuckled.

"Where's the adventure in that?" With her trumpet case in hand, the girl stuck her leg out and waited for a car to pass by. Kumiko burst out laughing. Reina flushed red. "What's so funny?"

"Where'd you even _learn_ that?"

"I believe I've told you before that my family tends to watch more . . . dignified movies, in their words, and in one of them the plucky heroine happened to perform this same trick, apparently with more success."

"She . . . stuck her leg out? Reina, I d-don't really think that's safe." The initial amusement at the situation faded as Kumiko started fearing for the safety of Reina's leg.

"You're too paranoid, Kumiko, I'll be-" At that moment, a car sped by, not even taking notice of Reina, and Kumiko instinctively pulled her back, tripping on a nearby root as she did so. Both girls went tumbling into the grass, with Kumiko's arms still tightly wrapped around Reina's waist.

"S-sorry!" Kumiko yelped, scrambling to untangle herself from Reina. The other girl didn't seem particularly bothered, or perhaps it was her stubborn pride preventing her from admitting that sticking her leg out on the edge of a busy street wasn't the best idea. Either way, she wasn't looking at Kumiko, sending wave upon wave of fear and worry through the girl's brain until Reina turned around, whispered a quick _"thank you"_ in her ear, and promptly started walking back in the direction of home.

"On second thought," Reina sighed, "-perhaps a bus isn't the most terrible concept." Kumiko breathed a sigh of relief and followed, holding Reina's hand until they both reached town, until they both boarded the bus, until Reina was fast asleep on her shoulder on the scratchy seat as Kumiko split her time between staring out the window and lovingly gazing at the girl beside her.


	19. meta

**a/n:** so at the beginning of the month i got a bingo sheet of prompts and one of them was metafiction so this happened

* * *

Reina arrived at Kumiko's family's apartment late on a cold winter's day, snow-covered and tightly bundled in a long coat.

"You said that there was something important you needed to show me," Reina said, setting down her bag and coat in the hallway. "You sounded distressed, so I came as fast as I could." Kumiko, in a sudden burst of boldness, took Reina's hand and ran down the hallway to the living room, where a laptop was set on the coffee table.

"There's this anime I've been meaning to watch," Kumiko began, practically rocking back and forth with excitement. "I finally started watching it, and it's kinda weird but I think you'll, uh, like it." She pointed to the screen, where a group of well-animated teenagers played instruments while stealing glances at each other. Reina sat down on the sofa and eyed the computer critically as Kumiko pressed play.

* * *

"The smaller one isn't providing much in terms of plot significance, is she?" Reina commented. Kumiko shrugged.

"There's a second season on the way, she might become important then. Besides, those little charms are pretty cute, aren't they?"

"I suppose."

* * *

"Reina, I'm not alone in wanting to punch that guy who keeps on hitting on the lead in the face, right?"

"You aren't. He's insufferable."

"If he actually ends up with her, I'm going to be _really_ mad. I mean, it's obvious that she isn't interested, y'know?"

"I agree. That other girl - the mysterious one - seems like a far better match." Kumiko nodded in agreement.

* * *

 _"Will you . . . go to the festival with me?"_ Kumiko was just about ready to repeatedly slam her face against a pillow.

"God, she's gonna accept and then that'll break her friend's heart and-"

"Kumiko."

"Yeah?"

"She said no. She's holding onto the arm of the mysterious girl." Kumiko looked up from her pillow to see the protagonist shyly looking away from her companion. "There's something awfully familiar about this," Reina noted.

* * *

Kumiko didn't speak for the remainder of the episode, too busy staring in awe at the magnificent scenes between the two characters. She didn't even seem to be breathing, every single part of her captivated by the glowing lights and intimate dialogue. Reina seemed nearly bored by comparison, shifting occasionally in her seat.

"I don't understand why you're so interested in this," she began. "It's more or less a retelling of our lives, doesn't that make you the slightest bit uncomfortable? I can't see the appeal of watching another version of yourself on a television." Kumiko nearly fell off of the couch in surprise.

"Y-you don't? I thought that kind of thing was important to everyone, being able to see themselves in their favorite shows and books. D-do you have any idea how thrilled I was when I saw that this . . . this show had a character like me, a character I could relate to? I don't like feeling invisible, Reina. You might not mind being 'different from the others' and all that, but I kinda do, and it feels pretty isolating when you turn on a TV and only see guys and girls kissing and stuff." Kumiko let out a laugh. "I'm starting to sound like Natsuki, aren't I?"

"I can't really argue with that statement, to be honest." Kumiko looked down at the carpet. "Now, the show isn't over, is it? I believe we still have about five more episodes." Kumiko smiled, relief plain on her face, as she clicked on the next episode.

* * *

The series finished a few hours later, with Kumiko and Reina holding hands as tightly as the characters on the screen.

"That was great," Kumiko breathed. Reina was holding her hands so tightly it felt like her circulation was being cut off, but she didn't care. "They . . . they held hands. She didn't end up with the guy. We're . . . we're not alone, Reina." Kumiko squeezed Reina's hands even tighter and embraced her, pressing her lips against the other girl's. Her parents might come home any second, everyone she had ever known could crawl from the ceiling for all she cared, because for this small moment she was _happy._ Reina chuckled between kisses, tangling her hands in Kumiko's hair as the computer faded to a black screen in the background.


	20. bus ride

**a/n:** sorry about not posting last night, there was writer's block involved. anyway, this was suggested by an anon on tumblr. thank you, anon!

* * *

Kumiko was not, generally speaking, the world's biggest fan of bus rides. The seats were hard and uncomfortable, and of course there was the looming threat of assigned seating and the ungodly invention of the buddy system. She hoped dearly that they didn't have those things in high school, and it seemed like her wish had been granted when Taki had told the students, with a resigned sigh, that they could choose where to sit on the three-hour ride to the annual camping trip. Immediately, friends scrambled to friends as couples slid into seats with hands intertwined. Kumiko tried to make herself as inconspicuous as possible when Shuichi passed by, and she could only thank the stars when she saw that Hazuki had taken hold of his arm and was dragging him next to her.

"Is this seat taken?" Reina asked, pointing to the empty space next to Kumiko. It took the girl a moment to register the request. _She's sitting next to me? Reina wants to sit next to me?_ Kumiko wordlessly nodded, and Reina plopped her bag down in the leg space with a similar silence.

* * *

Twenty minutes had passed, the bus had long since roared to life and began its journey, and yet Kumiko hadn't found a single thing to say to Reina that could possibly turn itself into a conversation.

"The landscape's, uh, nice, isn't it?" Reina nodded in response, seemingly more interested in the muffin she held in her hands. Kumiko still scrambled for conversation topics. "Do you like camping?" Reina shrugged. Kumiko nearly banged her head against the window. _No response. Crap. I can't keep on going like this._ Reina was stroking her trumpet now, running her hands along the smooth metal surface. "You, er, brought your trumpet? Aren't you worried about it getting damaged or eaten by a raccoon or something?"

"I highly doubt a raccoon would eat a brass instrument, Kumiko." Kumiko breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Reina's voice for the first time in what was really only about twenty minutes, but had felt like an eternity. "One may attempt to steal it, perhaps, drawn to its brightness, but it wouldn't eat it. Raccoons aren't fools."

"Why'd you bring it, though?" Kumiko regretted the words as soon as they escaped her mouth. _That probably sounded like I was judging her, she probably hates me now, she hates me, she-_

"I figured that it wouldn't harm anyone if I snuck off occasionally to practice. I've always hated these trips, anyway. There's nothing to be gained."

"M-me too!" Kumiko nearly cheered in response. "I thought I was the only one! Everyone's always talking about how amazing it is to be in the great outdoors, but it's really not that great, and the tents are itchy as heck, and really, when are we going to need to know how to build a fire from scratch?"

"I'd never go to another one of these as long as I live if I was given the choice." Reina sounded exasperated, nearly relieved. It was something Kumiko hadn't heard before, something that seemed strange yet comforting. "Unfortunately, we aren't given the choice, but I suppose we can suffer together, if you'd like to be dramatic about it." Kumiko nodded earnestly.

"Anyway, how's your practicing been going?"

"Well, it's much like any other fine craft - there are blocks. I'm sure you understand as well."

"B-blocks?"

"Writers have writer's block, artists have artist's block, the list could continue for the duration of this bus ride, and as such, musicians deal with what you could call musician's block."

"That's a great title," Kumiko deadpanned.

"Yes. Regardless, I would assume that you've dealt with it at some point or another, having played the euphonium for as long as you have. Times when nothing seems to turn out right, like you're pressing down on the notes but it's coming from someone else's body, a hollow, flat sound with none of the life usually breathed into the instruments. It's dreadful."

"Yeah, it is." Kumiko knew what Reina was talking about, and it made her shudder just thinking about it.

"I've been trying to get over a bout of it myself, and I figured that a few days alone in the woods might work as a way to get rid of it."

"Wait . . . y-you're planning on running away from the group? B-but that's really dangerous! You could get hurt or killed or something and nobody would ever know because you _snuck off into the woods._ "

"I'm not a child, Kumiko."

"Yes, you are! We both are! We're _kids,_ Reina, and it doesn't matter if you act mature and cool all the time, you're still just as prone to getting struck by lightning or eaten by a panther as any of us!"

"I don't think there are any panthers in Japan."

"Still, if you really insist on sneaking off to practice and get over this 'musician's block,' I'm going with you." Reina blinked.

"I won't object to that."

"Good," Kumiko huffed, crossing her arms and pretending to stare out the window while still watching Reina out of the corner of her eye.

* * *

The bus was more than halfway to the campsite, and it was Kumiko's turn to remain silent, more scared for Reina's safety than she wanted to admit.

"Listen, Kumiko, I wasn't truly planning on leaving for three entire days." Kumiko turned from the window to face Reina. "Slipping away from the group during dull activities, perhaps, or sitting on rocks surrounded by fireflies and stars late at night when everyone else is asleep, but I would make sure to return often. I don't have any desire to get hurt anytime soon, Kumiko. I still have things I need to do, ways to improve and become special. I'll be fine, Kumiko, I can promise you that." Kumiko impulsively wrapped Reina in a tight hug.

"D-don't say you'll do something scary like that again, okay?" she whispered. Reina rested in her arms.

"I won't."

"P-promise?"

"I promise."


	21. secret relationship

**a/n:** i have no idea where this came from

* * *

Kumiko followed the trumpet player in front of her, looking around nervously every time Reina took her hand.

"Y-you're sure that nobody's around here?" Kumiko asked, palms sweaty. Reina turned around, and Kumiko was instantly reminded of why she had fallen for the other girl in the first place. Between being completely drenched by the rain and clearly not getting enough sleep, Reina looked exhausted, yet there was an unquenchable spark in her eyes - perhaps it was more like a wave, Kumiko thought, a tumbling ocean that would bow to nothing less than the entire world, or a tiny fortress of ice that wouldn't even be melted by the strongest fires. Whatever it was, Reina still seemed determined as she crouched down and rolled out a blanket.

"It's pouring outside, Kumiko. Nobody would have a picnic in this weather." Kumiko sat down on the blanket, looking at the view from atop the hill. She figured that it must usually be beautiful, with the sun filtering through the trees and providing a backdrop to the sprawling city just beyond the horizon, but right now everything was cast in dreary grays and rain puddles, clouds covering any chance of sun. Kumiko rolled over on her back to face Reina, who was already lying down, deep in thought. She gave the other girl a quick peck on the cheek before sighing deeply and looking up at the cloudy sky.

"It's not fair," Kumiko muttered. Reina sat up.

"Hmm?"

"Why do we have to keep it a secret? God, Reina, don't you think that there's probably some couple that sits here in broad daylight, not giving a crap about who sees them? Maybe even two, or twenty? People who don't have to worry? People who get to see the sun instead of the clouds? Natsuki, she told me that-"

"Kumiko."

"Yeah?"

"It's for both of our sakes, alright? I can't . . . _we_ can't risk someone finding out about us."

"What, like the Hetero Police are going to suddenly come and arrest us for - _gasp_ \- _being gay?_ We're not dying, Reina, we're not in any danger."

"You don't know that!" Reina snapped. Kumiko shrank back. Reina seemed small in that moment, fragile, far weaker than Kumiko had ever seen her. Kumiko gulped.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, tentatively wrapping an arm around Reina before pulling her into a hug. "I d-didn't know." Reina rested her cheek against Kumiko's shoulder.

"It's not your fault," she whispered, her voice hoarse. It took Kumiko a moment to realize that she was trying not to cry, and the girl felt her brain slip into autopilot as she stroked Reina's back, gently holding her until the other girl pushed herself away.

"It's going to be okay, you hear me?" Kumiko murmured. "I promise it's going to be okay."

"You can't promise that."

"I guess you're right, but I'm going to t-try to do everything to make sure that it will be." The two girls remained like that for what felt like hours, holding each other and listening to their soft, synchronized breaths. Kumiko was the one to break the silence as she saw something rise over the horizon. "Reina, look!" she yelped, excitedly pointing to the sky, where a rainbow had just barely started to shimmer. Reina smiled softly, still leaning on Kumiko's shoulder.

"It's beautiful," she breathed.

"Like you," Kumiko teased. Reina swatted her with the picnic basket. "Y'know what's the best thing about having picnics alone, without anyone to watch us?"

"What?"

"I can do this." In one fell swoop, Kumiko kissed Reina on the lips, and she kissed back passionately, pulling her closer. The two girls didn't pull away until they were both dizzy and smiling, the faint rainbow shining above them.


	22. date

**a/n:** okay so one of my friends has reina as her icon and she reblogged a thing that said "imagine your icon driving up to you in this" and it was a plastic kiddy car so this happened

* * *

Kumiko honestly didn't know what to expect when Reina had told her that she would drive over and pick her up. She knew full well that the other girl didn't have a license, and she highly doubted that Reina would break the law for something as petty as a date. It didn't change her surprise when she saw a bright pink children's toy rolling up the sidewalk. Reina looked as poised as ever, her dress sticking out of the plastic car that she had to push to the apartment building's doorstep.

"Should I, uh, should I ask what this is?" Kumiko gestured to the "car," if it could even be called that, adorned with peeling stickers of unicorns and rainbows. The whole thing was so unlike Reina that Kumiko had to hold back a laugh.

"You shouldn't." Reina scooted over to make room for Kumiko in what would probably be considered the passenger seat. "If you really must know, however, I suppose I'll tell you." The girl stuck out her leg, and Kumiko instinctively gasped. It was wrapped in bandages, clearly painful and a fresh wound. "I couldn't walk here, obviously, my parents were busy, and the trains are closed because of the snow. Thankfully, my mother kept this around for whatever reason even though I never used it, so it wasn't too difficult to bring it here."

"You could've told me that you were hurt. I would've cancelled. Your pride isn't the most important thing here, Reina."

"I don't see the problem. The restaurant's only a few blocks away from this building, correct?"

"Yeah."

"We'll push our way there in this, park outside, and I'll ask your mother to drive me home when it's over."

"She's out tonight."

"I'll just drive this back home myself, then. It won't be a problem." Reina patted the seat beside her. "We have reservations, so I suppose it would be in the best interests of both of us to get going sooner rather than later." Kumiko gave a sigh of defeat and slid in beside Reina, pressed against the door.

* * *

It became painfully obvious about a block into the journey that maneuvering a children's toy weighed down with two teenagers down a cracked sidewalk was not, in fact, a very solid plan.

"I could just push this thing along," Kumiko suggested, ready to step out. "It'd probably be a lot faster." Reina held her back.

"It's fine," she insisted. "I can see the restaurant in the distance. It's close, Kumiko, we shouldn't give up here." Kumiko sat back down and started scooting the car once again.

* * *

"How'd you hurt your leg, anyway?" Kumiko asked as the two girls finally approached the front of the restaurant. She offered Reina her hand, and the other girl took it, warm and soft as she stood up with shaky knees.

"I tripped on a coffee table. It wasn't anything serious, but it's still extremely sore, hence the . . . unusual transportation." Reina motioned to the car. Kumiko nodded in understanding before leading the other girl inside the restaurant.

* * *

Two hours later, long after dinner had been finished and Kumiko had reached her apartment's lawn, the two girls were sprawled out on the grass with their hands intertwined, the pink car cast aside.

"Y'know, you could just stay here tonight," Kumiko murmured. "My parents won't mind an impromptu sleepover. It's too late for you to go home alone, especially because of your, uh, leg."

"I'll be fine."

"You don't know that."

"I don't, but I can travel back to my house on my own, Kumiko."

"I'll accompany you back, then."

"You don't have to-"

"I want to, Reina. Besides, the stars are really pretty tonight. It'd be nice to watch them with you for a while."

"I suppose the car isn't the most terrible outcome of this date, then."

"It's still pretty bad. I counted at least five unicorns. Who put those on?" Reina groaned.

"They were already there when we opened the box. I would assume that it was meant to be some attempt at making it look well-worn, but all it succeeded in doing was making the toy's uselessness even more apparent."

"That's, uh, that's pretty dumb."

"I agree."

 _It's not as dumb as dragging yourself halfway across town while injured in a pink hunk of plastic meant to be used by five-year-olds for a date,_ Kumiko thought, but she didn't dare say the words out loud. She knew, on some level, that it was a romantic gesture, one not to be taken lightly, but she was more concerned for Reina's safety than her amount of overdramatic things to do. "So, should we get going, then?" Reina nodded and hobbled over back to the car. Kumiko followed, leaning against the other girl as they scooted away into the night.


	23. stars

**a/n:** sorry for how short this one is, i was kinda rushed last night

* * *

Kumiko liked the stars. She wouldn't admit it to anyone, not even Reina, but she sometimes wondered what it was like up there, if there was someone else far away, too far to reach, wondering the same thing. She was glad for the lack of lamps near Kitauji - it allowed her to see the stars more clearly on her way back home from school.

"You seem preoccupied. Is something the matter?" Kumiko was snapped back to reality by Reina's voice - the other girl had chosen to walk home with her on this particular night, holding her hand as she looked up at the sky.

"N-no," Kumiko mumbled. "I was just thinking that the sky's really clear tonight." Reina looked up as well, pausing to marvel at the sight.

"It's lovely," she murmured. "You enjoy stargazing?"

"Yeah, I guess. It's, uh, just a hobby."

"I've always enjoyed looking up there occasionally myself. It's a reminder, I suppose, of how small and insignificant we really are. There must be entire _worlds_ out there, worlds that we haven't even come close to finding. There's something comforting in that, knowing that we're just two people on a tiny glowing light in the sky." A sudden chill blew through the air, and Reina tightened her scarf. Kumiko leaned against her for body heat. "They probably have warmer weather on some of those planets," Reina commented. Kumiko nodded in agreement. "However, it is very clear that we do not live on one of those planets, so we should probably attempt to catch that train so we can return to our heated houses."

"Y-yeah."


	24. matchmakers

**a/n:** in an early draft of the beginnings of the coffeeshop au, i was planning on making hazuki and midori give kumiko romantic advice with reina and just overall act like supportive wingmen, but that idea was eventually scrapped in favor of the "clueless straight friends" thing, which ended up working better, but i figured the original idea could've worked in canonverse too

* * *

 _"Wh-aa-t?"_ Hazuki drew out each syllable as if it was its own word, a comical expression of surprise on her face. "You like _Kousaka-san?"_ Kumiko turned a deep shade of red.

"I always knew," Midori added smugly. "It was clear from the look you'd get on your face every time she walked into the room. It's the face of a fool in love, couldn't be anything else!"

"Yes, I like her, I like girls, it's not a huge problem," Kumiko muttered, avoiding eye contact with the two girls in front of her. "D-don't try to do anything crazy with this, okay? This is a really important thing, I wasn't even planning on telling you."

"Why _did_ you tell us, then?" Hazuki asked.

"I was sick of you assuming that I was going after Shuichi. I figured that it'd be best to tell you two myself before Asuka started powering the rumor mill."

"Yeah, yeah, that makes sense," Hazuki mused. "Have you told her yet?"

"No."

"You should."

"I won't."

"I'd be willing to bet all of my Tuba-kun merchandise that Kumiko's made her feelings really obvious already, Hazuki," Midori piped up.

"It doesn't matter! Kumiko, you need to tell her how you feel!"

"This isn't a cheesy book, Hazuki." Kumiko curled her hands into fists in her pockets, regretting her decision to tell Hazuki and Midori already. "T-this is real life, and I don't want to do anything that'd drive Reina away. She's . . . she's my best friend, I can't screw that up." Kumiko tried to force back the tears welling in her eyes. "I'm n-not supposed to try for more than I have. Y'know those stories where the kids learn that they need to be grateful for what they have?"

"Not really," Midori squeaked.

"Me neither," Hazuki admitted. Kumiko sighed.

"W-well, anyway, that's what I'm trying to base my decisions off of. I've messed up before, I don't wanna do it again." Hazuki looked down at her shoes.

"We understand," she said, putting a hand on Kumiko's shoulder. "I won't say anything else about it, okay?"

"T-thanks," Kumiko sniffed. Midori wrapped her in a hug.

* * *

Kumiko really shouldn't have been surprised when she read the note scribbled in Hazuki's familiar chicken scratch, telling her to go to the roof urgently. She shouldn't have been surprised when she saw Reina standing there, too, holding a nearly identical note in her pale hands.

"I know what they're trying to do," Reina called as Kumiko ascended the last step. "I can see those two watching us from a tree below." Kumiko looked down and fiddled with a loose thread in her pocket.

"Y-you know, it doesn't mean anything," she mumbled. "They're, uh, kinda obsessed with matchmaking." Reina raised an eyebrow.

"I can see that." The trumpet player stepped closer, close enough for Kumiko to see the spark in her eyes that glowed when she took Kumiko's hands into her own. "I suppose they won't stop until we give them what they're seeking." With that, Reina kissed Kumiko right on the lips. Kumiko had been expecting to be elated, glowing, practically jumping up and down, but instead she was relieved, relieved that she wasn't just being a fool in love again, and that relief flooded her body as she sank deeper into the kiss. The distant, triumphant cheering of Hazuki and Midori could be heard from below, but Kumiko paid no attention. She resolved to thank them later, but for now she was simply content with the girl in front of her.


End file.
